Catalytic Behaviors of CoII and MnII Compounds Bearing α-Diimine Ligands for Oxidative Polymerization or Drying Oils

The oxidative polymerization of linseed oil was investigated comparing the classical catalysts cobalt(II) 2-ethylhexanoate and manganese(II) 2-ethylhexanoate and their derivatives modified by the presence of chelating nitrogen ligands, i.e., 2,2'-bipyridyl, 2-(acetyl-2,6-diisopropylphenylimine)-pyridine and [N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imine]acenaphthoquinone. The suitable stoichiometries between the two precursor complexes with the three ligands were determined by UV-visible spectroscopy. All complexes were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, and one complex was characterized also by X-ray diffraction. The apparent kinetic constants of oxidative polymerization of linseed oil was determined, for each catalytic system, via the periodic measurements of the oil viscosity during the oxidation reaction. The results indicated that the modifications of the classical two complexes with the chelating nitrogen ligands improved the catalytic efficiency at least to the manganese complex.