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

, 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 group is derived from a cy ...

or aryl, but not

hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...

). They can be considered a sub-class of imines, being either secondary ketimines or secondary aldimines depending on their structure. Anil refers to a common subset of Schiff bases: imines derived from

aniline Aniline (From , meaning ' indigo shrub', and ''-ine'' indicating a derived substance) is an organic compound with the formula . Consisting of a phenyl group () attached to an amino group (), aniline is the simplest aromatic amine. It is an in ...

s. The term can be synonymous with azomethine which refers specifically to secondary aldimines (i.e. where R' ≠ H).

Synthesis

Schiff bases can be synthesized from an aliphatic or

aromatic amine In organic chemistry, an aromatic amine is an organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be a ...

and a carbonyl compound by nucleophilic addition forming a hemiaminal, followed by a

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water that disrupts metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds intake, often resulting from excessive sweating, health conditions, or inadequate consumption of water. Mild deh ...

to generate an

imine 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 ...

. In a typical reaction,

4,4'-oxydianiline 4,4′-Oxydianiline (ODA) is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula Oxygen, O(Carbon, C6Hydrogen, H4Nitrogen, NH2)2. It is an ether derivative of aniline. This colourless solid is a useful monomer and Cross-link, cross-linking agent ...

reacts with ''o''- vanillin:

Schiff bases can also be synthesized via the Aza-Wittig reaction.

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

retinal Retinal (also known as retinaldehyde) is a polyene chromophore. Retinal, bound to proteins called opsins, is the chemical basis of visual phototransduction, the light-detection stage of visual perception (vision). Some microorganisms use ret ...

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 a light-sensitive receptor protein that triggers visual phototransduction in rod cells. Rhodopsin mediates dim ...

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

Coordination chemistry

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 with a 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 el ...

s to form coordination complexes with

metal ions A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. These properties are all associated with having electrons available at the Fermi level, as against n ...

. One example is Jacobsen's catalyst. The imine nitrogen is basic and exhibits pi-acceptor properties. Several, especially the diiminopyridines are noninnocent ligands. Many Schiff base ligands are derived from alkyl

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

s and aromatic aldehydes. Chiral Schiff bases were one of the first ligands used for asymmetric catalysis. In 1968 Ryōji Noyori developed a copper-Schiff base complex for the metal-carbenoid cyclopropanation of styrene. Schiff bases have also been incorporated into metal–organic frameworks (MOF). AsymmetricSynthesisNoyori

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.

Historic references

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References

{{reflist, refs= Functional groups Schiff bases Organometallic chemistry Ligands