Polymers composed of macromolecules containing azomethine (azanylylidenemethanylylidene) linkages in the backbone:
\[\ce{-N=CR-}\] where
\(\ce{R}\) is hydrogen, or an alkyl or aryl group (structure-based polymer class name).
Notes: - A polymer with only pendant azomethine groups is excluded.
- The name azomethine is derived from the traditional names 'azo' for azanylylidene group \(\ce{-N=}\) and methine' for the methanylylidene group \(\ce{-CH=}\).
- The original distinction between polyazomethines and poly(Schiff base)s, which is that a group \(\ce{R}\) in \(\ce{-N=CR-}\) linkage cannot be hydrogen in a polyazomethine but can be hydrogen in a poly(Schiff base), making polyazomethines a subclass of poly(Schiff base)s, has nearly completely disappeared.
Source:
PAC, 2022, 94, 15. 'Glossary of terms relating to electronic, photonic and magnetic properties of polymers (IUPAC Recommendations 2021)' on page 55 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2020-0501)