A mild, copper catalyzed route to conducting polyaniline.

The aniline dimer, N-(4-aminophenyl)aniline has been polymerized cleanly under mild conditions to obtain an emeraldine base form of polyaniline using [MeB(3-(Mes)Pz)3]CuCl as the catalyst and H2O2 as the oxidant, while the subsequent acidification of the emeraldine base gives the conducting emeraldine salt form of polyaniline.