Synthesis, structure, optical properties, antifungal and antibacterial activities of 2-(1-oxo-1H-2,3-dihydroisoindol-2-yl)-3-imidazolyl-L-lactamic acid

2-(1-oxo-1H-2,3-dihydroisoindol-2-yl)-3-imidazolyl-L-lactamic acid has been prepared conveniently by the condensation reaction of o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) with L-Histidine, and its single crystal structure has been characterized by X-ray crystallography method. The in vitro antifungal and antibacterial activities of the compound were investigated with the representative strains of Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Its luminescent and nonlinear optical properties have also been investigated. Second-harmonic-generation (SHG) measurements indicate that compound 1 displays a weak SHG response of about 0.75 times that of KH2PO4.