Synthesis and study of an ortho-phenol polymer, a highly functionalized polyphenylene, have been conducted. A dibromo ortho-biphenol monomer was synthesized and its homocoupling in the presence of Ni(1,5-cyclooctadiene)(2) followed by hydrolysis led to the formation of an ortho-plienol polymer. This polymer was soluble in common organic solvents. It was characterized by gel permeation chromatography, UV-vis, IR, H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopic methods. The use of this polymer in the Lewis acid-catalyzed reaction of phenylacetylene with benzaldchyde in the presence of diethylzinc was studied. It was found that the polymer when treated with 1/4 equiv. (relative to the phenol unit of the polymer) of Ti((OPr)-Pr-i)(4) generated a much more active Lewis acid catalyst than when treated with excess Ti((OPr)-Pr-i)4. This indicates that different types of catalytic sites in the polymer have been produced under these conditions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.