Demetallation, antimicrobial and computational studies of methoxy-1, 3-diene substituted products from addition of natural products to tricarbonyl (2-methoxycyclo hexadienyl)iron tetrafluoroborate

•Biologically active nucleophiles was added to tricarbonyl(2-methoxycyclo hexadienyl)iron tetrafluoroborate in a carbon-carbon pattern of nucleophilic addition to form organometallic adducts which on demetallation with trimethylamine-N-oxide gave modified natural products, products difficult to achieve through conventional method.•The results showed direct addition of the dienylium ring of tricarbonyl(2-methoxycyclohexadienyl)iron tetrafluoroborate at carbon position five (C5) to the ὰ-carbon of the furan ring of the natural products in a carbon-carbon pattern of nucleophilic addition.•Antimicrobial studies of the intermediates and the final products showed varying degrees of activities.•The high LogP and low energy band gap of the final products suggested an increase in hydrophobicity, enhancing their permeability across the membrane of the target organisms, hence justifies their increase antimicrobial activities.

The addition of biologically active natural products to [(1-5-η-2-MeOC6H6) Fe(CO)3][BF4] afforded 1,3-diene substituted derivatives which on demetallation with Me3NO, gave new organic compounds with improved antimicrobial properties supported by quantum descriptors and QSAR measurements.

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