Chemical and biological properties of some oxindolidyl-3-methines
Several 1-methyloxindohdyl-3-methines have been synthesized, either by condensation of 1-methyloxindole with an aldehyde, or by a Wittig reaction of a chloromethylene compound with a 1-methylisatin When examined m the mass spectrometer the expected ion reactions were observed and, in addition, a reaction involving expulsion of the carbonyl group of the oxindole moiety and rearrangement of the residual fragment, to give a 1-methylbenzo[b]azepinium ion was observed. The anions of the oxindolidyluracilmethines 4 and 5, (R = Me, R′ = OH) had an absorption band near 380 mμ but the corresponding neutral molecules absorbed at 325–350 mμ. The 5-nitrofuran derivatives 3 were the only compounds that inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis.