a) providing a phenolic having the general structure:

 wherein R₁, R₃, and R₅ are H, OH, or OCH₃; R₂, and R₄ are H, OH, OCH₃or linear or branched alkyl; R₆ and R₇ are H, halo, or cyano, provided that at least one of R₁, R₃, or R₅ is OH, and that R₂, and R₄are not both simultaneously t-butyl;

b) providing a first reaction mixture comprising:

i) a non-amine basic catalyst and

ii) at least one polar organic solvent

c) contacting the phenolic of (a) with the reaction mixture of (b) at a temperature and for a time sufficient for the decarboxylation of the phenolic substrate to form a stable decarboxylated hydroxystyrene intermediate,

d) contacting the decarboxylated hydroxystyrene intermediate with a polar organic solvent and a polymerization initiator at a temperature and time sufficient to produce a poly(hydroxystyrene), and

e) purifying the poly(hydroxystyrene) and organic solvent mixture by fractionation wherein a second solvent is added to said mixture, said mixture is heated to the boiling point of said first solvent and/or stirred for at least one minute, the mixture is allowed to settle, the solvent is decanted, and further solvent is added, and repeating this fractionation at least once more, said second solvent is selected from the group consisting of toluene, hexane, heptane, octane, petroleum ether, ligroin, lower alkyl halohydrocarbons and mixtures thereof,

with the proviso that:

(1) the phenolic is selected from the group consisting of 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, ferulic acid, sinapinic acid, caffeic acid, 2-hydroxycinnamic acid, 3,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, and α-cyano-4-hydroxycirinamic acid,

(2) the non-amine basic catalyst is selected from the group consisting of potassium acetate, potassium carbonate, potassium hydroxide, sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide and magnesium oxide, and

(3) the polar organic solvent in steps (b) and (d) is selected from the group consisting of N,N-dimethylformamide, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, N,N-dimethylacetamide, dimethylsulfoxide, hexamethylphosphoramide, and hexmethylphosphorous triamide.