Six fluorescent benzazolylvinylene derivatives were Studied by tlierniogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and related molecular parameters. The thermal stability was determined in terms of the steps of degradation and its fitting parameters, such as maximum degradation rate maximum degradation rate temperature (T-Rmax), degradation temperature range, which is related to the half-width at half-height values (Gamma), and the kinetic parameters: activation energy (E-a), pro-exponential factor (A), and reaction order (n) obtained by Barrett's method. Different organic substitutes and heteroatoms do not play a fundamental role in the thermal behavior of the studied dyes. The compensation effect between pre-exponential factor and activation energy was confirmed. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.