Synthesis and Pharmacological Activities of N-(3-Hydroxyphenyl) Benzamide and its 3-O-Derivatives

N-(3-hydroxyphenyl) benzamide (3) was synthesized by the condensation of 3-hydroxyaniline (1) with benzoyl chloride (2) in aqueous medium. From this parent molecule 3, various 3-O-derivatives, 5a-f, were prepared via O-alkylation, by reacting it with different alkyl halides, 4a-f, for 2 h under reflux conditions in the presence of mixture of Na-ethoxide and C₂H₅OH as solvent. The synthesized compounds were characterized by using different spectroscopic techniques and were subjected to enzyme inhibition activity against butylcholinesterase, acetylcholinesterase, and lipoxygenase enzymes.