organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J.; ...

, a Schiff base (named after Hugo Schiff) is a compound with the general structure ( =

alkyl In organic chemistry, an alkyl group is an alkane missing one hydrogen. The term ''alkyl'' is intentionally unspecific to include many possible substitutions. An acyclic alkyl has the general formula of . A cycloalkyl is derived from a cycloalk ...

aryl In organic chemistry, an aryl is any functional group or substituent derived from an aromatic ring, usually an aromatic hydrocarbon, such as phenyl and naphthyl. "Aryl" is used for the sake of abbreviation or generalization, and "Ar" is used as ...

, but not

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...

). They can be considered a sub-class of imines, being either secondary

ketimines In organic chemistry, an imine ( or ) is a functional group or organic compound containing a carbon–nitrogen double bond (). The nitrogen atom can be attached to a hydrogen or an organic group (R). The carbon atom has two additional single bon ...

or secondary aldimines depending on their structure. The term is often synonymous with azomethine which refers specifically to secondary aldimines (i.e. where R' ≠ H). A number of special naming systems exist for these compounds. For instance a Schiff base derived from an

aniline Aniline is an organic compound with the formula C6 H5 NH2. Consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group, aniline is the simplest aromatic amine In organic chemistry, an aromatic amine is an organic compound consisting of an aroma ...

, where is a phenyl or a substituted phenyl, can be called an ''anil'', while bis-compounds are often referred to as salen-type compounds. The term Schiff base is normally applied to these compounds when they are being used as

ligand In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule (functional group) that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding with the metal generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electr ...

s to form

coordination complexes A coordination complex consists of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the ''coordination centre'', and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as ''ligands'' or complexing agents. Many m ...

with

metal ions A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

. Such complexes occur naturally, for instance in corrin, but the majority of Schiff bases are artificial and are used to form many important catalysts, such as Jacobsen's catalyst.

Synthesis

Schiff bases can be synthesized from an

aliphatic In organic chemistry, hydrocarbons ( compounds composed solely of carbon and hydrogen) are divided into two classes: aromatic compounds and aliphatic compounds (; G. ''aleiphar'', fat, oil). Aliphatic compounds can be saturated, like hexane, or ...

or aromatic amine and a carbonyl compound by

nucleophilic addition In organic chemistry, a nucleophilic addition reaction is an addition reaction where a chemical compound with an electrophilic double or triple bond reacts with a nucleophile, such that the double or triple bond is broken. Nucleophilic additions di ...

forming a

hemiaminal In organic chemistry, a hemiaminal (also carbinolamine) is a functional group or type of chemical compound that has a hydroxyl group and an amine attached to the same carbon atom: . R can be hydrogen or an alkyl group. Hemiaminals are intermediat ...

, followed by a

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

to generate an imine. In a typical reaction,

4,4'-oxydianiline 4,4′-Oxydianiline (ODA) is an organic compound with the formula O( C6 H4 NH2)2. It is an ether derivative of aniline. This colourless solid is a useful monomer and cross-linking agent for polymers, especially the polyimides, such as Kapton. Us ...

reacts with ''o''-

vanillin Vanillin is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a phenolic aldehyde. Its functional groups include aldehyde, hydroxyl, and ether. It is the primary component of the extract of the vanilla bean. Synthetic vanillin is now used ...

Biochemistry

Schiff bases have been investigated in relation to a wide range of contexts, including antimicrobial, antiviral and anticancer activity. They have also been considered for the inhibition of

amyloid-β Amyloid beta (Aβ or Abeta) denotes peptides of 36–43 amino acids that are the main component of the amyloid plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. The peptides derive from the amyloid precursor protein (APP), which is ...

aggregation. Schiff bases are common enzymatic intermediates where an amine, such as the terminal group of a lysine residue, reversibly reacts with an aldehyde or ketone of a cofactor or substrate. The common enzyme cofactor

pyridoxal phosphate Pyridoxal phosphate (PLP, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, P5P), the active form of vitamin B6, is a coenzyme in a variety of enzymatic reactions. The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has catalogued more than 140 PLP-dependent ac ...

(PLP) forms a Schiff base with a lysine residue and is transaldiminated to the substrate(s). Similarly, the cofactor retinal forms a Schiff base in

rhodopsin Rhodopsin, also known as visual purple, is a protein encoded by the RHO gene and a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). It is the opsin of the rod cells in the retina and a light-sensitive receptor protein that triggers visual phototransduction ...

s, including human rhodopsin (via Lysine 296), which is key in the photoreception mechanism.

Coordination chemistry

Schiff bases are common ligands in

coordination chemistry A coordination complex consists of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the ''coordination centre'', and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as ''ligands'' or complexing agents. Many ...

. The imine nitrogen is basic and exhibits pi-acceptor properties. The ligands are typically derived from alkyl

diamine A diamine is an amine with exactly two amino groups. Diamines are used as monomers to prepare polyamides, polyimides, and polyureas. The term ''diamine'' refers mostly to primary diamines, as those are the most reactive. In terms of quantities p ...

s and aromatic aldehydes. Chiral Schiff bases were one of the first ligands used for asymmetric catalysis. In 1968

Ryōji Noyori is a Japanese chemist. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2001, Noyori shared a half of the prize with William S. Knowles for the study of chirally catalyzed hydrogenations; the second half of the prize went to K. Barry Sharpless for his ...

developed a copper-Schiff base complex for the metal-carbenoid cyclopropanation of styrene. For this work he was later awarded a share of the 2001

Nobel Prize in Chemistry ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...

. Schiff bases have also been incorporated into

metal–organic framework Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of compounds consisting of metal ions or cluster compound, clusters coordinated to organic compound, organic ligands to form one-, two-, or three-dimensional structures. The organic ligands included ar ...

s (MOF).

Conjugated Schiff bases

Conjugated Schiff bases absorb strongly in the UV-visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. This absorption is the basis of the anisidine value, which is a measure of oxidative spoilage for fats and oils.

Synthesis

Biochemistry

Coordination chemistry

Conjugated Schiff bases

References

Further reading