Authors: Ranjan Kumar, Niranjan Kumar Mandal
Abstract: Schiff base metal complexes have garnered significant attention in coordination chemistry due to their diverse structural features, catalytic properties, and biological activities. These complexes, synthesized via the condensation of primary amines with carbonyl compounds (e.g., salicylaldehyde, acetylacetone), form stable chelates with transition metals (e.g., Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II)), exhibiting a wide range of coordination geometries (e.g., square planar, tetrahedral, octahedral). Their structural adaptability allows for tailored electronic environments, making them excellent candidates for catalytic processes such as asymmetric synthesis, C–C coupling, and oxidation reactions. Additionally, their interactions with biological macromolecules (e.g., DNA, proteins) have spurred interest in their use as antimicrobial, anticancer, and diagnostic agents. This review highlights the synthesis (e.g., template methods, solvent-free routes), characterization techniques (e.g., UV-Vis, IR, XRD, EPR), and applications of Schiff base metal complexes, emphasizing their relevance in medicinal chemistry (e.g., bioinorganic drug design), catalysis (e.g., industrial and green chemistry), and material science (e.g., luminescent materials, MOFs). By consolidating key findings from the literature before 2014, this work provides a comprehensive understanding of these versatile compounds, identifying gaps in current knowledge and suggesting future research avenues for optimizing their functional utility.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17157735
