ABSTRACT:
Schiff bases, formed by the condensation of primary amines with carbonyl compounds, have attracted significant interest due to their versatile ligands and broad spectrum of applications. This review presents a comprehensive overview of recent developments in Schiff bases and their metal complexes, emphasizing their synthesis, structural characteristics, and diverse functional roles. Despite their simple preparation, Schiff bases exhibit remarkable versatility, making them valuable in various branches of chemistry including coordination chemistry, analytical chemistry, catalysis, and pharmaceutical chemistry. Schiff base complexes are known for their notable biological activities, such as antimicrobial, anticancer, and enzyme inhibition studies. They contribute significantly to environmental efforts, including wastewater treatment and pollutant removal. Their relevance in coordination chemistry and molecular design is also examined. This review highlights the synthesis methods, diverse applications, characterization techniques and biological activities of selected Schiff bases and their transition metal complexes.