Equilibrium Studies of Schiff Bases and Their Complexes with Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) derived from Salicylaldehyde and Some α-Amino Acids

The acid-base equilibria of Schiff bases derived from salicylaldehyde, glycine, alanine, serine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine, and their Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complex formation equilibria were investigated by a potentiometric method in aqueous solution (t = 25∘C, μ = 0.1 M, KCl). The data from the potentiometric titrations were evaluated by means of the BEST computer program. The order of the formation constant values of the Schiff bases was Sal-Ala > Sal-Gly > Sal-Ser > Sal-Phe > Sal-Tyr, which is the same order as the increasing log K1 values of amino acids (and the log K2 values of tyrosine) with the exception of an inversion between serine and phenylalanine. Also, it was seen that the stability constants, log β1 and log β2, of Schiff base–metal complexes vary for all the metal ions investigated, viz., Sal-Gly > Sal-Ala > Sal-Ser > Sal-Tyr > Sal-Phe with the exception of Sal-Gly in the copper complex. The effect of the nature of the amino acids on their formation, protonation and stability constants was also discussed.