Synthesis, Spectroscopic Characterization, and Complexation Behavior of N-(4-bromophenyl)-1-phenylmethanimine Schiff Base with Iodine and Cadmium Chloride

A Schiff base ligand, N-(4-bromophenyl)-1-phenylmethanimine (L1), was synthesized through the condensation reaction of 4-bromoaniline with benzaldehyde in absolute ethanol using glacial acetic acid as a catalyst. The ligand was obtained as a pale-yellow solid in good yield. The complexation behavior of L1 was investigated with iodine as an electron acceptor and cadmium chloride as a coordination reagent. The prepared ligand and its complexes were characterized using UV–Vis, FT-IR, GC–MS, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The UV–Vis spectra showed clear changes in the absorption bands after complex formation, indicating charge-transfer interaction in the L1–I₂ system and coordination interaction in the L1–CdCl₂ system. FT-IR spectral changes, particularly those related to the azomethine (Cⓜ=N)group, supported the participation of the azomethine nitrogen in complex formation. The GC–MS spectrum of the L1–I₂ complex showed characteristic fragmentation patterns associated with halogen-containing aromatic fragments. XRD analysis indicated the crystalline nature of the prepared complex with an average crystallite size in the nanoscale range. The results demonstrate that L1 behaves as an effective Schiff base ligand capable of forming both charge-transfer and coordination complexes, suggesting its potential usefulness in spectroscopic and coordination chemistry applications.