Accelerator NL-49P

Product description Cobalt(II) 2-ethylhexanoate, 1% Co, in solvent mixture

O
R C Co
O 2

CAS No. : 136-52-7

EINECS/ELINCS No. : 205-250-6
TSCA status : listed on inventory

Specifications Appearance : clear blue violet liquid

Cobalt content : 0.95-1.05%
3
Characteristics Density, 20°C : 0.949 g/cm
Viscosity, 20°C : 7 mPa.s

Storage Accelerator NL-49P is stable at ambient temperatures.

When stored under these recommended storage conditions, Accelerator

NL-49P will remain within the AkzoNobel specifications for a period of at
least 9 months after delivery.

Major decomposition In a fire, cobalt oxides and carbon monoxide may be formed.
products
Packaging and The standard packaging is a 25 kg and 200 kg drum.
transport
Both packaging and transport meet the international regulations. For the
availability of other packed quantities contact your AkzoNobel
representative.

Accelerator NL-49P is not classified as a dangerous good according to

national and international transport regulations.

Safety and handling Keep containers tightly closed. Store and handle Accelerator NL-49P in a
dry well-ventilated area at ambient temperatures. Do not mix with organic
peroxides.

Please refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for further
information on the safe storage, use and handling of Accelerator NL-49P.
This information should be thoroughly reviewed prior to acceptance of this
product.
The MSDS is available at www.akzonobel.com/polymer.

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Applications The curing of unsaturated polyester resins at ambient temperatures can in
general not be performed by an organic peroxide alone. The radical
formation, which is necessary to start the polymerization reaction, is at
ambient temperatures with most generally applied organic peroxides too
slow. To speed up the radical formation in a controllable way organic
peroxides must therefore be used in combination with a so-called
accelerator.

For ketone peroxides like methyl ethyl ketone peroxides, cyclohexanone

peroxides and acetylacetone peroxide a cobalt accelerator must be used.

For this purpose the following formulations of cobalt 2-ethylhexanoate also

called cobalt octoate are available:

Accelerator NL-49P 1% cobalt in aliphatic ester

Accelerator NL-51P 6% cobalt in aliphatic ester

Accelerator NL-53 10% cobalt in white spirit

The reactivity of the various cobalt accelerators is directly correlated with

the cobalt content.
The use of a lower concentrated version increases the dosage accuracy.
However, when the dosage level of e.g. Accelerator NL-49P must be
higher than approx. 3% to achieve the required cure performance, it is
advised to use a higher concentrated cobalt accelerator e.g. 0.5%
Accelerator NL-51P.

The cure characteristics of an unsaturated polyester resin/ketone peroxide

mixture can, apart from the choice of the ketone peroxide, very effectively
be influenced by the dosage level of the cobalt accelerator. The dosage
level of the cobalt accelerator expressed as Accelerator NL-53 (10%
cobalt) can for this purpose be varied between e.g. 0.025% up to
approximately 0.6% calculated on the UP resin.

When the right peroxide has been chosen and still the required gel time
and cure characteristics can not be obtained with the cobalt accelerator
alone, it is possible to increase the reactivity of the cobalt accelerator by
the extra addition of a promoter like Accelerator NL-63-100 (N,N-
Dimethylaniline) or Promotor D (N,N-Diethylacetoacetamide).

This adaptation of the accelerator system may be necessary when:

- a very short gel time and/or a very fast cure is required e.g. for resin
transfer molding or the production of polymer concrete
- highly inhibited and/or low reactive resins must be cured e.g.
bisphenol A/fumarate and vinylester resins.

The cure system ketone peroxide/cobalt accelerator can further be

characterized by:
- the relatively low color, related to the cobalt dosage, of the cured
molding
- a very good UV light resistance of the molded parts
- the long pot life of the cobalt accelerator in the polyester resin

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 A possible disadvantage may be that the cure system is more sensitive for
moisture, pigments and fillers than the cure system dibenzoyl peroxide/
amine accelerator.

Cobalt accelerators can also be used to increase the reactivity of organic

peresters, which are applied for the cure of unsaturated polyester resins at
elevated temperatures. Moreover, the use of a cobalt accelerator gives in
general a lower residual styrene content in the cured molding. For this
application peresters like Trigonox C, Trigonox 21, Trigonox 42 and the
special mixture Trigonox 93 can be used.

Dosage Depending on working conditions the following accelerator dosage level is

recommended:
*
Accelerator NL-49P 0.25 - 3.0 phr

Cure characteristics In the following cure experiments the performance of cobalt

2-ethylhexanoate as accelerator will be demonstrated.

Gel times at 20°C

- in a standard orthophthalic resin with various ketone peroxides

Accelerator NL-49P (phr)

0.25 0.5 1

2 phr Butanox M-60 22 12 7

2 phr Butanox LPT 65 31 20
2 phr Cyclonox LE-50 20 11 6
2 phr Trigonox 44B 24 14 8

- in various resins with Accelerator NL-63-100 as promoter

standard orthophthalic resin

2 phr Butanox M-60 + 1 phr Acc. NL-49P 7 min.

2 phr Butanox M-60 + 1 phr Acc. NL-49P + 0.05 phr Acc. NL-63-100 4 min.
2 phr Butanox M-60 + 1 phr Acc. NL-49P + 0.10 phr Acc. NL-63-100 2 min.

2 phr Trigonox 44B + 1 phr Acc. NL-49P 8 min.

2 phr Trigonox 44B + 1 phr Acc. NL-49P + 0.05 phr Acc. NL-63-100 5 min.
2 phr Trigonox 44B + 1 phr Acc. NL-49P + 0.10 phr Acc. NL-63-100 3 min.

bisphenol A/fumarate resin

2 phr Butanox LPT + 3 phr Acc. NL-49P 145 min.

2 phr Butanox LPT + 3 phr Acc. NL-49P + 0.05 phr Acc. NL-63-100 65 min.
2 phr Butanox LPT + 3 phr Acc. NL-49P + 0.10 phr Acc. NL-63-100 34 min.

bisphenol A/vinylester resin

2 phr Butanox LPT + 3 phr Acc. NL-49P 32 min.

2 phr Butanox LPT + 3 phr Acc. NL-49P + 0.05 phr Acc. NL-63-100 22 min.
2 phr Butanox LPT + 3 phr Acc. NL-49P + 0.10 phr Acc. NL-63-100 16 min.
*
phr = parts per hundred resin
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 Time-temperature curves at elevated temperatures (70°C and 90°C)

Cure Gel Time to Peak

temp. time Peak exotherm
°C min. min. °C

1 phr Trigonox 21 70 9 16 233

1 phr Trigonox 21 + 1 phr Acc. NL-49P 70 3 5 214

1 phr Trigonox 21 90 1 6 258

1 phr Trigonox 21 + 1 phr Acc. NL-49P 90 0.3 1.5 240

1 phr Trigonox C 90 9 25 236

1 phr Trigonox C + 1 phr Acc. NL-49P 90 2 6 258

Pot life at 20°C

The pot life has been determined of Accelerator NL-49P in a standard

orthophthalic polyester resin at 20°C.

1 phr Accelerator NL-49P >6 months

Trigonox, Butanox and Cyclonox are registered trademarks of Akzo Nobel Chemicals B.V. or
affiliates in one or more territories.

All information concerning this product and/or suggestions for handling and use contained herein are offered in good faith and are believed to be reliable. AkzoNobel Functional
Chemicals, however, makes no warranty as to accuracy and/or sufficiency of such information and/or suggestions, as to the product's merchantability or fitness for any
particular purpose, or that any suggested use will not infringe any patent. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as granting or extending any license under any patent.
Buyer must determine for himself, by preliminary tests or otherwise, the suitability of this product for his purposes. The information contained herein supersedes all previously
issued bulletins on the subject matter covered. The user may forward, distribute, and/or photocopy this document only if unaltered and complete, including all of its headers and
footers, and should refrain from any unauthorized use. You may not copy this document to a website.

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TS 49330.07/June 2012
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