Novel mono- and bis-(styryl) 2,3-dicyanopyrazine functional dyes were synthesized by the Wittig reaction of 2,3-bis(triphenylphosphoniummethyl)-5,6-dicyanopyrazine dibromide and arylaldehydes. In order to synthesize polymeric compounds.. terminal methyl methacrylate (MMA) group was introduced into the mono and bis(styryl) compounds. The corresponding monomers and MMA with three different mole ratios (monomer/MMA) of 2.5%, 5%, 10% were polymerized in benzene solution with alpha,alpha'-azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator to give the copolymers. The novel polymeric compounds containing functional dyes in the side chain were investigated. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.