Derivatives of cephalosporin C formed with certain heterocyclic tertiary bases. The cephalosporin CA family

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Abstract
Cephalosporin C reacts with pyridine in neutral aqueous solution to form a new compound with antibacterial activity. This compound shows no net change on paper electrophoresis at pH 5-7. It has been named cephalosporin Ca (pyridine). Cephalosporin C reacts in a similar fashion with a number of derivatives of pyridine, including nicotinamide, pyridine-carboxy lic acids and sulfapyridine, and also with sulfathiazole and sulfadiazine. The resulting family of compounds has been named the cephalosporin Ca family. Evidence is presented that the formation of members of the cephalosporin Ca family involves the displacement of the acetoxy group in cephalosporin by the heterocyclic tertiary base and conversion of the latter into a quaternary derivative. The relative activity of members of the cephalosporin Ca family against Staphylo-coccus aureus and Salmonella typhi varies with the base from which they are formed. The compound formed with pyridine is at least 12 times as active as cephalosporin C against S. aureus but less than twice as active against S. typhi. The compound formed with pyridine-2:3-dicarbioxylic acid is more than 20 times as active against S. typhi as against S. aureus.