A review on synthesis and biological activity of Schiff Bases

Abstract

Schiff bases are versatile organic compounds, gaining importance day by day due to their wide applications. Schiff bases, containing imines or azomethine functional groups, are prepared by condensation of primary amines with carbonyl compounds or they may occur naturally in plants. They have lots of importance in industry and show numerous biological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, etc. The wide range of biological studies of the Schiff bases are now attracting the attention of researchers which can lead to the identification of promising lead compounds. This review consists of the recent developments and various methodologies to synthesize Schiff base as well as their biological activities covering the last 20 years.