Metal-polyyne polymers consisting of palladium and conjugated acetylenic systems, where PD and R represent the —Pd(PBu3)2—moiety and alkyl groups, respectively, were prepared by polycondensation between palladium chlorides and α,ω-diethynyl compounds in amines using a catalytic amount of cuprous iodide. The molecular weights of the polymers formed were greatly affected by the basicity of the amines and the addition of free phosphines to the polymerization system. Under the optimum conditions, i.e., in the presence of CuI and PBu3 (in molar ratio 1/4) in piperidine at room temperature, polymer Ia (R1 = R2 = H) having M?w = 29,000 was obtained.
