Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Isomeric Derivatives of Naturally Occurring Spatozoate

An isomer of the natural phthalate ester spatozoate (1), n-butyl 2-benzoyloxymethylbenzoate (2a) and a series of its new derivatives 2b–2s were synthesized and exposed to selected biological screening, as phthalates were reported to possess different biological activities. Compound 2g was found to be the most potent cytotoxic agent with a LD 50 = 8.98 µg/ml. In a bactericidal assay the compounds showed a broad spectrum of activities. Compound 2a has a very promising fungicidal activity against Microsporum canis .