It has been found that [Mn(acac)(3)], by functioning both as a radical initiator and a hydroperoxide decomposition catalyst, has a very high activity in the autoxidation of ethyl linoleate (EL), a model compound for the binder molecule in household alkyd paint. Adding 1 equiv of bipyridine (bpy) to a reaction mixture of EL and [Mn(acaC)(3)] significantly enhances the autoxidation rate. The redox properties of [Mn(acac)(3)] and [Mn(acac)(2)(bpy)] have been compared with cyclic voltammetry; the observed peak potentials show that addition of bpy facilitates reduction of Mn(III) to Mn(II), which may explain the increase in autoxidation activity.