International Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2017, 7, 229-239 http://www.scirp.org/journal/ijoc ISSN Online: 2161-4695 ISSN Print: 2161-4687 DOI: 10.4236/ijoc.2017.73017 Jul. 27, 2017 229 International Journal of Organic Chemistry Synthesis, Molecular Structure and Antibacterial Activity of 1-(4-Methoxybenzaldehyde)- 4-Methylthiosemicarbazone James Ajeck Mbah 1* , Godfred Aponglen Ayimele 1 , Norbert Kodjio 2 , Joseph Ngwain Yong 1 , Emmanuel Ngwang Nfor 1 , Donatien Gatsing 2 1 Department of Chemistry, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon 2 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon Abstract A novel ligand, 1-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-4-methylthiosemicarbazone (MBT) derived from 4-methoxybenzaldehyde was synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic methods (IR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR), single crystal X-ray diffrac- tion technique and physical means. MBT showed antibacterial activity in vitro with MICs of 64 μg/mL (a strain of Salmonella typhi (ATCC 6539)), 128 μg/mL (Salmonella typhi), 64 μg/mL (Salmonella paratyphi A), 128 μg/mL (Salmonella paratyphi B) and 64 μg/mL (Salmonella typhimurium). The re- sults showed that MBT demonstrated moderate in vitro antibacterial activity against a strain of Salmonella typhi (ATCC 6539), Salmonella paratyphi A, and Salmonella typhimurium, indicating its promise as a possible lead for the discovery of antibacterial drugs. Keywords Novel Schiff Base, Antibacterial Activity, Crystal Structure 1. Introduction 4-Methoxybenzaldehyde (also: p-anisaldehyde, anise aldehyde) is an organic compound that is commonly encountered in fragrances, both synthetic and nat- ural [1]. It is a clear liquid with a strong aroma. Anisaldehyde is prepared com- mercially by oxidation of methoxytoluene (p-cresyl methyl ether) using manga- nese dioxide. It can also be produced by oxidation of anethole, a related fra- How to cite this paper: Mbah, J.A., Ay- imele, G.A., Kodjio, N., Yong, J.N., Nfor, E.N. and Gatsing, D. (2017) Synthesis, Mo- lecular Structure and Antibacterial Activity of 1-(4-Methoxybenzaldehyde)-4-Methyl- thiosemicarbazone. International Journal of Organic Chemistry, 7, 229-239. https://doi.org/10.4236/ijoc.2017.73017 Received: June 16, 2017 Accepted: July 24, 2017 Published: July 27, 2017 Copyright © 2017 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access