Dicyanotetrafluorobenzene was polycondensed with bisphenol-P, bisphenol-M, or 1,4-bis(4-hydroxyphenoxy)butane in DMY 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. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.