The title Schiff base compounds, C20H18N2O2 (I) and C20H16ClNO3 (II), were synthesized from 4-benz-yloxy-2-hy-droxy-benzaldehyde by reaction with 1,2-di-amino-benzene for (I), and condensation with 2-amino-4-chloro-phenol for (II). Compound (I) adopts the enol-imine tautomeric form with an E configuration about the C=N imine bond. In contrast, the o-hy-droxy Schiff base (II), is in the keto-imine tautomeric form with a Z configuration about the CH-NH bond. Neither mol-ecule is planar. In (I), the central benzene ring makes dihedral angles of 46.80 (10) and 78.19 (10)° with the outer phenyl-amine and phenyl rings, respectively, while for (II), the corresponding angles are 5.11 (9) and 58.42 (11)°, respectively. The mol-ecular structures of both compounds are affected by the formation of intra-molecular contacts, an O-H⋯N hydrogen bond for (I) and an N-H⋯O hydrogen bond for (II); each contact generates an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal of (I), strong N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds form zigzag chains of mol-ecules along the b-axis direction. Mol-ecules are further linked by C-H⋯π inter-actions and offset π-π contacts and these combine to form a three-dimensional network. The density functional theory (DFT) optimized structure of compound (II), at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d) level, confirmed that the keto tautomeric form of the compound, as found in the structure determination, is the lowest energy form. The anti-oxidant capacities of both compounds were determined by the cupric reducing anti-oxidant capacity (CUPRAC) process.
Keywords: CUPRAC; DFT calculations; Schiff base; antioxidant capacity; crystal structure.