Abstract The synthesis of 4-vinyl-1, 2-phthalate esters via Suzuki coupling is described, followed by nitroxide-mediated polymerization to prepare short homopolymers (degree of polymerization [DP]= 10–40, polydispersity index [PDI]= 1.1–1.3). Random copolymers with n-butyl acrylate (NBA) were prepared. Copolymers rich in phthalate ester residues of medium lengths (DP= 16–48, PDI= 1.2–1.8) and of shorter lengths (DP= 8–17, PDI= 1.2– ...