Solvent-free synthesis, spectral correlations and antimicrobial activities of some aryl E 2-propen-1-ones

•Green aldol condensation gives more than 85% yield of a series of E 2-propen-1-ones.•These aryl E 2-propen-1-ones were characterized by their analytical and spectral data.•Hammett spectral linearity has been studied for 4′-iodophenyl chalcones.•Antimicrobial activities of 4′-iodophenyl chalcones have also been studied.

Totally 38 aryl E 2-propen-1-ones including nine substituted styryl 4-iodophenyl ketones have been synthesised using solvent-free SiO2–H3PO4 catalyzed Aldol condensation between respective methyl ketones and substituted benzaldehydes under microwave irradiation. The yields of the ketones are more than 80%. The synthesised chalcones were characterized by their analytical, physical and spectroscopic data. The spectral frequencies of synthesised substituted styryl 4-iodophenyl ketones have been correlated with Hammett substituent constants, F and R parameters using single and multi-linear regression analysis. The antimicrobial activities of 4-iodophenyl chalcones have been studied using Bauer–Kirby method.

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