🥼organic chemistry review

Schiff base

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025

Definition

A Schiff base is a compound featuring a nitrogen atom double-bonded to a carbon atom, which is also bonded to an aryl or alkyl group but not a hydrogen atom, created by the condensation of an amine with an aldehyde or ketone. In the context of glycolysis, it plays a role in the enzymatic conversion of intermediates.