Method for preparing aluminum-based air drying compositions

Claim 1

In a method for forming a storage-stable composition by addition of an alkoxyaluminum compound to a drying oil resin or ester containing hydroxyl or carboxyl groups, the improvement which comprises adding to and reacting under ambient conditions with said alkoxyaluminum compound at least one gram mole of a labile monofunctional reactant per gram atom of aluminum in said alkoxyaluminum compound prior to addition of said alkoxyaluminum compound to said drying oil resin or ester, thereby forming a fluid, storage-stable mixture which is resistant to gelation until said labile monofunctional reactant is released from said mixture by evaporation or hydrolysis, wherein said labile monofunctional reactant is selected from the group consisting of lower alkanols having up to about eight carbon atoms, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, cumenyl hydroperoxide, water, hydrogen peroxide, and mixtures thereof and wherein said alkoxyaluminum compound has the formula ##STR4## in which R is selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl, lower cycloalkyl, and lower alkoxyalkyl, and each of said A and B is selected from the group consisting of OR and 2-ethylhexoate, 3,5,5-trimethylhexoate, versatate, naphthenate, acid monoisopropyl phthalate, acid monoethoxyethoxyl maleate, ethyl acetoacetate, and acetylacetone.