LAUSR

Polycyclic chalcone-containing polyacrylamides, namely, poly ((N-(4-((E)-3-(naphthalen-6-yl)-3-oxoprop-1-enyl) phenyl) acrylamide), poly((N-(4-((E)-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-3-oxoprop-1-enyl) phenyl) acrylamide), and poly((N-(4-((E)-3-oxo-3-(10H-phenothiazin-8-yl) prop-1-enyl) phenyl) acrylamide), were synthesized by Claisen–Schmidt condensation reaction, followed by ultrasonic irradiation reduction. The synthesized polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic technique. The newly synthesized polymers have been screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities by using resazurin reduction assay method, and the resulting polyacrylamides showed promising activity against various tested bacteria and fungi. Among the polymers, poly((N-(4-((E)-3-oxo-3-(10H-phenothiazin-8-yl) prop-1-enyl) phenyl) acrylamide) and poly((N-(4-((E)-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-3-oxoprop-1-enyl) phenyl) acrylamide) exhibited better antifungal and antibacterial activities than poly ((N-(4-((E)-3-(naphthalen-6-yl)-3-oxoprop-1-enyl) phenyl) acrylamide), whereas all the polymers do not show any sign of antibacterial and antifungal activity against Streptococcus faecalis and Candida glabrata. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.