Salcomine
Salcomine is a coordination complex derived from the salen ligand and cobalt. The complex, which is planar, and a variety of its derivatives are carriers for O as well as oxidation catalysts. Preparation and structure. Salcomine is commercially available. It may be synthesized from cobalt(II) acetate and salenH. Salcomine crystallizes as a dimer. In this form, the cobalt centers achieve five-coordination via a bridging phenolate ligands. A monomeric form crystallizes with chloroform in the lattice. It features planar Co centers. Salcomine is both a Lewis acid and a reductant. Several solvated derivatives bind O to give derivatives of  the type (μ-O)[Co(salen)py] and [Co(salen)py(O)]. Applications. The 1938 report that this compound reversibly bound O led to intensive research on this and related complexes for the storage or transport of oxygen. Solvated derivatives of salcomine, e.g. the chloroformate or the DMF adduct, bind 0.5 equivalent of O: Salcomine catalyzes the oxidation of 2,6-disubstituted phenols by dioxygen.