Synthesis of aromatic polyethers by Scholl reaction. I. Poly(1,1′-dinaphthyl ether phenyl sulfone)s and poly(1,1′-dinaphthyl ether phenyl ketone)s

A novel synthetic method for the preparation of high molecular weight aromatic polyethers is presented. It consists in the Scholl reaction of di(1-naphthyl) ethers of aromatic derivatives exhibiting lower nucleophilicity and higher oxidation potential than the 1-naphthoxy groups. The examples described in this paper refer to the synthesis of aromatic polyether sulfones and aromatic polyether ketones by the polymerization of 4,4′-di(1-naphthoxy)diphenyl sulfone and respectively 4,4′-di(1-naphthoxy)benzophenone. Both polymerization reactions are performed at room temperature in nitrobenzene, using anhydrous FeCl₃ as catalyst, and apparently follow a “reactive intermediate polycondensation” polymerization mechanism.