Thermal properties and DNA-binding studies of a new kind of acyl hydrazone compounds containing imidazole ring

•The single crystals of three new acyl hydrazone compounds are obtained and characterized.•The sequence of the thermostability studied by TG-DTG for three compounds under nitrogen and air is the same: III > I > II.•UV–Vis absorption shows the interaction modes of three compounds with CT-DNA are hyperchromic and hypochromic effects.•The results of three compounds reacting with CT-DNA gained by microcalorimeter show reactions are endothermic and rapid.

Three new acyl hydrazone compounds C12H12N4O3 (I), C12H14N4O4 (II) and C16H16N4O3 (III) are synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal structural analyses show that the three compounds crystallize in the monoclinic crystal lattice. Their thermal decomposition processes under nitrogen and air are studied by TG-DTG, the sequence of the thermostability for three compounds at each condition is the same: III > I > II. The interaction modes of the three compounds with CT-DNA are investigated by UV–Vis absorption, showing hyperchromic and hypochromic effects. The thermogenic curves of the three compounds reacting with CT-DNA are measured by microcalorimetry, indicating that they are all endothermic reaction and the reaction times are within 10–30 min.

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