Polyaddition of divinyloxyl compounds with diphenol or diol to novel degradable polymers

The polyaddition of equimolar amounts of ethylene glycol divinyl ether (EGDE) and a diphenol or a diol proceeded smoothly in tetrahydrofuran, in the presence of a trace amount of pyridinium p-toluenesulfonate as a catalyst, at room temperature. Several diphenol and diol compounds, such as catechol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, substituted hydroquinones, ethylene glycol, and 1,6-hexanediol, were subjected to polyaddition with EGDE, and the corresponding polymers were obtained in every case. All the polymers were stable in basic or neutral environments but exhibited degradation in acidic media.