series of push-pull butadiene dyes (new merocyanine dyes) containing 3,6-bis(dimethylamino)fluorenylidene, thioxanthenylidene, or 10-(9-xanthenylidene)-9(10H)-anthrylidene chromophore was easily synthesized from the corresponding 1,1-diaryl-2-propyn-1-ol systems. Their absorptionspectralproperties were examined and the relationship between their light absorptionproperties and chemical structures is