Abstract
Thymol is a substance with a great therapeutic potential possessing antibacterial and antifungal activity, with a characteristic odour that remains long after application but is not pleasant at higher concentrations. In this study, attention has been focused on describing the chemical and biological properties of the simply prepared trimethylsilyl ether of thymol (kubicin). Interestingly, kubicin has similar volatility as thymol, undergoes hydrolysis in the water (moisture; forming thymol and trimethylsilanol) and can be used at 6,000 times higher concentration than thymol without any negative and irritating odour. Kubicin showed diverse fungistatic and fungicidal activities when tested by direct contact assay, or in vapour phase. The volatile vapour of kubicin was effective on all tested fungal strains. These results suggest that vapours of kubicin might provide an alternative way to fight against fungal contamination.