Studies at the ionizable position of cephalosporins and penicillins: hydroxamates as substitutes for the traditional carboxylate group

Classically, β-lactams need an ionizable group to potentiate antibacterial activity. Sets of cephalosporins and penicillins featuring different substituted hydroxamates in place of the traditional carboxylate group have been synthesized and tested for antibiotic activity. Many of the compounds exhibited anti-bacterial activities with notable MIC values in the range of 6-0.2 μM.