Essential oils are compounds naturally derived from plants. Often times these oils contain terpene groups that have been proven to display antibacterial properties. However, due to the high volatility of these compounds, they are unsuitable for use through drug therapy. It has been hypothesized that the attachment of such terpenes onto a pre-existing antibiotic drug will enhance the resulting amalgamation's overall ability to effectively kill bacteria. In this study, two different essential oils, eugenol and thymol, were used to replace an acetyl group on the antibiotic Cefotaxime. To prepare for the substitution reaction, Cefotaxime was first hydroxylated at its acetyl group and then converted into a tosylate product. Minimal inhibitory concentration testing was then used to test the synthesized compound's antimicrobial efficiency.

Synthesis and antibacterial testing of terpene-substituted Cefotaxime

255th National Meeting (2018)

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