Cobalt(II) naphthenate is a mixture of cobalt(II) derivatives of naphthenic acids. These coordination complexes are widely used as oil drying agents for the autoxidative crosslinking of drying oils. Metal naphthenates are not well defined in conventional chemical sense that they are mixtures. They are widely employed catalysts because they are soluble in the nonpolar substrates, such as the alkyd resins or linseed oil. The fact that naphthenates are mixtures helps to confer high solubility. A second virtue of these species is their low cost. A well-defined compound that exhibits many of the properties of cobalt naphthenate is the cobalt(II) complex of 2-ethylhexanoic acid. Often in technical literature, naphthenates are described as salts, but they are probably also non-ionic coordination complexes with structures similar to basic zinc acetate.

Cobalt(II) naphthenate

Names
Other names Naphtolite
Identifiers
CAS Number	61789-51-3 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	21241700 N
PubChem CID	14048876
RTECS number	QK8925000
InChI InChI=1S/2C11H8O2.Co/c2*12-11(13)10-6-5-8-3-1-2-4-9(8)7-10;/h2*1-7H,(H,12,13);/q;;+2/p-2 N Key: IFSWBZCGMGEHLE-UHFFFAOYSA-L N InChI=1/2C11H8O2.Co/c2*12-11(13)10-6-5-8-3-1-2-4-9(8)7-10;/h2*1-7H,(H,12,13);/q;;+2/p-2 Key: IFSWBZCGMGEHLE-NUQVWONBAA
SMILES c1ccc2cc(ccc2c1)C(=O)[O-].c1ccc2cc(ccc2c1)C(=O)[O-].[Co+2]
Properties
Chemical formula	CoC22H14O4
Molar mass	401.02 g/mol
Appearance	brown amorphous or bluish-red solid
Density	0.96 g/cm3, solid
Melting point	140 °C (284 °F; 413 K)
Boiling point	> 150 °C (302 °F; 423 K)
Solubility in water	none
Hazards
Flash point	48.89 °C (120.00 °F; 322.04 K)
Safety data sheet (SDS)	External SDS
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). N verify (what is YN ?) Infobox references

The catalytic properties of cobalt(II) naphthenates are similar to those of related compounds containing manganese and iron. Such species are sometimes classified as active driers. Active driers are catalysts that feature redox-active metal centers. Such centers promote redox reactions with hydroperoxide-containing intermediates.^[1]