Effect of hydroxyl group position on adsorption behavior and corrosion inhibition of hydroxybenzaldehyde Schiff bases: Electrochemical and quantum calculations

The corrosion inhibition and adsorption of N,N′-bis(n-hydroxybenzaldehyde)-1,3-propandiimine (n-HBP) Schiff bases has been investigated on steel electrode in 1 M HCl by using electrochemical techniques. The experimental results suggest that the highest inhibition efficiency was obtained for 3-HBP. Polarization curves reveal that all studied inhibitors are mixed type. Density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) and B3LYP/3-21G basis set levels and ab initio calculations using HF/6-31G(d,p) and HF/3-21G methods were performed on three Schiff bases. By studying the effects of hydroxyl groups in ortho-, meta-, para- positions, the best one as inhibitor was found to be meta-position of OH in Schiff base (i.e., 3-HBP). The order of inhibition efficiency obtained was corresponded with the order of most of the calculated quantum chemical parameters. Quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) approach has been used and a correlation of the composite index of some of the quantum chemical parameters was performed to characterize the inhibition performance of the Schiff bases studied. The results showed that %IE of the Schiff bases was closely related to some of the quantum chemical parameters but with varying degrees/order. The calculated %IE of the Schiff base studied was found to be close to their experimental corrosion inhibition efficiencies.

► The inhibition ability of Schiff bases against the corrosion of steel was evaluated.
► Schiff bases retard both the cathodic and anodic reactions through chemical adsorption.
► The correlation of inhibition effect and molecular structure was discussed.
► Frontier orbital theory which was applied to the results of quantum chemistry.