First Photolysis of Benzidine Schiff Base in Non Aqueous Solvents

The first photolysis of synthesized Schiff base [Bis-(2-chlorobenzalidene) benzidine] in the presence of various solvents (methanol, acetonitrile and n-hexane) was carried out under UV-light radiation. The data obtained by UV-Visible spectroscopy was used to determine the kinetic parameters of the Schiff base photolysis. It was found that the degradation of Schiff base in all solvents followed a first order reaction. The results show the rate of photolysis depends on the polarity of solvents. The effect of temperature on the photolysis process in methanol has been studies at different temperature ranging from 10oC to 50oC. The activation energy has been determined. The intermediates formed in the Schiff base photolysis processes were detected and identified, using High Performance Liquid Chromatography analytical technique coupled with UV-visible spectrophotometer.