2-(1-Bromoethyl)-anthraquinone (BEAQ) was successfully used as an initiator in the atom transfer radical polymerization of styrene with CuBr/N,N,N',N',N''-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine as the catalyst at 110 degrees C. The polymerizations were well controlled with a linear increase in the molecular weights (M-n's) of the polymers with monomer conversion and relatively low polydispersities (1.1 < weight-average molecular weight (M-w)/M-n < 1.5) throughout the polymerizations. The resultant polystyrene thus possessed one chromophore moiety (2-ethyl-anthraquinone) at the alpha end and one bromine atom at the omega end, both from the initiator BEAQ. The intensity of UV absorptions of the resultant polymers decreased with increasing molecular weights of the polymers. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.