Equimolar “a2 + b4” polycondensations—Cyclic polyethers derived from 1,4‐dicyanotetrafluorobenzene and various diphenols

Dicyanotetrafluorobenzene was polycondensed with bisphenol‐P, bisphenol‐M, or 1,4‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenoxy)butane in DMF. Either K₂CO₃ and ethyldiisopropylamine (EDPA) or tetramethyl piperidine (TMPD) was used as catalysts and HF acceptors. Regardless of base and concentration, all polycondensations of bisphenol‐P or 1,4‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenoxy)butane yielded more or less crosslinked polyethers. In the case of bisphenol‐M, all polycondensations conducted with K₂CO₃ and 0.4, 0.2, or 0.1 M monomer concentrations resulted again in gelation. Gels were also obtained when polycondensations of 0.4 M monomer solutions were catalyzed with EDPA or TMPD. Yet, at a concentration of 0.2 M, the amines yielded completely soluble polyethers, which were characterized by elemental analyses, inherent viscosities, MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry, and DSC measurements. The mass spectra revealed that the soluble polyethers mainly consisted of cycles containing two C? F bonds per repeat unit. Nearly quantitative substitution of the C? F groups with 4‐chlorothiophenol, 4‐bromophenol, 4‐aminophenol, and 4‐phenyl azophenol proved successful, so that a broad variety of multifunctional polyethers was obtained, but in the case of 4‐chloro thiophenol cleavage of the polyether chain also occurred. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. JPolym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 543–551, 2008