Cationically curable compositions with latent reducing agent demonstrating low cure temperature

1. A reaction product of furoin or a furoin derivative and (a) a compound having one or more maleimide, nadimide or itaconimide functional groups and/or (b) a compound having one or more maleate or fumarate functional groups, wherein the compound having one or more maleate and fumarate functional groups is embraced by

respectively, wherein each R is independently selected from alkyl groups having from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl groups having from 3 to about 10 carbon atoms, aryl groups and alkaryl groups having from 7 to about 10 carbon atoms.

2. The reaction product of claim 1 , wherein the compound having one or more maleimide, nadimide, or itaconimide functional groups is embraced by

respectively, wherein:

m=1-15,

p=0-15,

each R 2 is independently selected from hydrogen or lower alkyl having from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, and

J comprises a monovalent or a polyvalent moiety comprising organic or organosiloxane radicals, or a combinations thereof.

3. A curable composition comprising:

the reaction product of claim 1 , and

an epoxy-containing or oxetane-containing component, a cationic onium catalyst and

a transition metal salt.

4. The curable composition of claim 3 , wherein the epoxy-containing component is a member selected from the group consisting of cycloalphatic epoxy resins; C 4 -C 28 alkyl glycidyl ethers; C 1 -C 28 alkyl-glycidyl esters; C 2 -C 28 alkenyl-glycidyl esters; C 1 -C 28 alkyl-, mono- and poly-phenol glycidyl ethers; polyglycidyl ethers of pyrocatechol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenyl methane (or bisphenol F), 4,4′-dihydroxy-3,3′-dimethyldiphenyl methane, 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenyl dimethyl methane (or bisphenol A), 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenyl methyl methane, 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenyl cyclohexane, 4,4′-dihydroxy-3,3′-dimethyldiphenyl propane, 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenyl sulfone, and tris(4-hydroxyphyenyl)methane; polyglycidyl ethers of the chlorination and bromination products of the above-mentioned diphenols; polyglycidyl ethers of novolacs; polyglycidyl ethers of diphenols obtained by esterifying ethers of diphenols obtained by esterifying salts of an aromatic hydrocarboxylic acid with a dihaloalkane or dihalogen dialkyl ether; polyglycidyl ethers of polyphenols obtained by condensing phenols and long-chain halogen paraffins containing at least two halogen atoms; phenol novolac epoxy resins; cresol novolac epoxy resins; and

combinations thereof.

5. The curable composition of claim 3 , wherein the oxetane-containing component is represented by:

in which R is a methyl or ethyl group and n is 1 to 6.

6. The curable composition of claim 3 , wherein the cationic onium catalyst includes a cationic counter ion within the following structure:

wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3, R 4 , R 5 and R 5′ may or may not be present, but when not present are hydrogen and when any are present may individually be selected from C 1-6 alkyl, C 2-6 alkenyl, halogen, hydroxyl and carboxyl, with R 1 , R 2 , R 5 and R 5′ being present individually up to 5 times on each aromatic ring to which it(they) is(are) attached, and R 3 and R 4 being present individually up to 4 times on each aromatic ring to which it(they) is(are) attached, n is 0-3 and m is 0-1.

7. The composition according to claim 3 , wherein the cationic onium catalyst includes a counter ion selected from the group consisting of

8. The composition according to claim 3 , wherein the cationic onium catalyst includes a counter ion selected from the group consisting of

wherein for structure VI R 11, R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , R 16 , R 17 , R 18 , R 19 , R 20, and R 21 may or may not be present, but when not present are hydrogen and when any are present may individually be selected from alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, halogen, hydroxyl, and carboxyl; for structure VIII R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 and R 10 may or may not be present, but when not present are hydrogen and when any are present may individually be selected from alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, halogen, hydroxyl, and carboxyl, and for of structure VII R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 6′ , R 7′ , R 8′ , R 9′ , and R 10′ may or may not be present, but when not present are hydrogen and when any are present may individually be selected from alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, halogen, hydroxyl, and carboxyl.

9. The composition according to claim 3 , wherein the cationic onium catalyst includes a counter ion selected from the group consisting of

10. The composition according to claim 3 , wherein the cationic onium catalyst is used in an amount within the range of about 0.1 to about 10 percent by weight of the total composition.

11. The composition of claim 3 , wherein the transition metal salt includes a transition metal selected from the group consisting of copper, cobalt, vanadium, gold, silver, palladium, nickel, zirconium, iron, titanium, chromium, manganese, platinum, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, and rhenium.

12. The composition of claim 3 , wherein the transition metal salt includes a salt selected from the group consisting of antimonates, phosphates, sulfonates, carboxylates, thiophenolates, ligand complexes thereof, some or all of which may be halogenated.

13. The reaction product of claim 3 selected from

wherein C 36 is a linkage having 36 carbon atoms.