The 15N and 13C solid state NMR study of intramolecular hydrogen bond in some Schiff's bases

A series of 11 Schiff's bases derived from substituted salicylaldehyde and aliphatic amines has been studied in the solid state by ¹⁵N and ¹³C cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). ¹⁵N CPMAS is especially useful for investigation of the tautomerism in the compounds considered, owing to the large difference in the nitrogen chemical shifts of OH and NH tautomers. In the solid state, three of the compounds examined were shown by ¹⁵N NMR to exist as OH tautomeric forms, and the remaining eight as the corresponding NH forms. This was confirmed by ¹³C CPMAS. The results reported were compared with those obtained in CDCl₃ solutions.