Synthesis, properties, and solvatochromism of 1,3‐dimethyl‐5‐{(thien‐2‐yl)‐[4‐(1‐piperidyl) phenyl]methylidene}‐(1 H ,3 H )‐pyrimidine‐2,4,6‐trione

A new merocyanine dye, 1,3‐Dimethyl‐5‐{(thien‐2‐yl)‐[4‐(1‐piperidyl)phenyl]methylidene}‐ (1 H , 3 H )‐pyrimidine‐2,4,6‐trione 3 , has been synthesized by condensation of 2‐[4‐(piperidyl)benzoyl]thiophene 1 with N,N′ ‐dimethyl barbituric acid 2 . The solvatochromic response of 3 dissolved in 26 solvents of different polarity has been measured. The solvent‐dependent long‐wavelength UV/Vis spectroscopic absorption maxima, v max , are analyzed using the empirical Kamlet–Taft solvent parameters π * (dipolarity/polarizability), α (hydrogen‐bond donating capacity), and β (hydrogen‐bond accepting ability) in terms of the well‐established linear solvation energy relationship (LSER): 1$${ \tilde {v} }_{\max } = (\tilde{v}_{\max } )_0 + {\rm s\pi }^* + {\rm \,\,a}\alpha + {\rm b}\beta$$ The solvent independent coefficients s , a , and b and ( v max ) 0 have been determined. The McRae equation and the empirical solvent polarity index, E T (30) have been also used to study the solvatochromism of 3 . Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.