Triaryl(1-pyrenyl)bismuthonium salts: efficient photoinitiators for cationic polymerization of oxiranes and a vinyl ether.

Photoirradiation of triaryl(1-pyrenyl)bismuthonium salts in acetonitrile afforded triarylbismuthanes and pyrene, accompanied by the generation of protic acids. Triaryl(1-pyrenyl)bismuthonium hexafluoroantimonates have proven to behave as efficient photoinitiators for cationic polymerization of oxiranes and a vinyl ether, affording the corresponding polymers in good yields within 1 min.