Synthesis of a soluble polyphenol by oxidative polymerization of bisphenol-A using iron-salen complex as catalyst

Summary A soluble polyphenol was synthesized by oxidative polymerization of bisphenol-A using iron(III)-salen and hydrogen peroxide as catalyst and oxidizing agent, respectively. The addition of pyridine increased the yield and molecular weight of the polymer. NMR and IR analysis showed that the polymer was composed of a mixture of phenylene and oxyphenylene units. The iron-salen also induced the polymerization of phenol, m-cresol, and p-t-butylphenol.