Abstract
Schiff bases are compounds that are widely distributed in nature and have practical value for industry and biomedicine. Another important use of Schiff bases is identifying metal ions and different molecules, including proteins. Their proneness to hydrolysis limits the utilization of Schiff bases to mainly non-aqueous solutions. However, by introducing -OH and -SH substituents to aromatic amine-bearing rings, it is possible to increase the resilience of the Schiff base to destruction in water. The present paper discusses how the hydroxyl or thiol group influences the spectral properties and kinetics of the hydrolysis and formation of Schiff bases derived from pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and aniline, 2-hydroxyaniline, and 2-mercaptoaniline using quantum chemical data. The spectral variation between different imines can be explained by taking into account the geometry and frontier molecular orbital alteration induced by the substituents. The changes in the hydrolysis rate are analyzed using the computed values of local reactivity indices.