The photostabilizing electronic excited state energy--particularly singlet
state energy from a UV-absorbing molecule has been found to be readily
transferred to (accepted by) .alpha.-cyanodiphenylacrylate compounds of
formulas (I) and (V) having an alkoxy radical preferably in the four
(para) position (hereinafter methoxy crylenes) on one or both of the
phenyl rings: ##STR00001## wherein at least one of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2
is a straight or branched chain C.sub.1-C.sub.12 alkoxy radical,
preferably C.sub.1-C.sub.8, more preferably C.sub.1-C.sub.4, and most
preferably methoxy, and any non-alkoxy radical R.sub.1 or R.sub.2 is
hydrogen; and R.sub.3 is a straight or branched chain C.sub.1-C.sub.24
alkyl radical, preferably C.sub.12-C.sub.24, more preferably C.sub.20;
##STR00002## wherein A and B are the same or different and are selected
from the group consisting of oxygen, amino and sulfur; R.sup.1 and
R.sup.3 are the same or different and are selected from the group
consisting of C.sub.1-C.sub.30 alkyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.30 alkylene,
C.sub.2-C.sub.30 alkyne, C.sub.3-C.sub.8 cycloalkyl, C.sub.1-C.sub.30
substituted alkylene, C.sub.2-C.sub.30 substituted alkyne, aryl,
substituted aryl, heteroaryl, heterocycloalkyl, substituted heteroaryl
and substituted heterocycloalkyl; R.sup.2 is selected from the group
consisting of C.sub.1-C.sub.30 alkyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.30 alkylene,
C.sub.2-C.sub.30 alkyne, C.sub.3-C.sub.8 cycloalkyl, C.sub.1-C.sub.30
substituted alkyl, C.sub.3-C.sub.8 substituted cycloalkyl,
C.sub.1-C.sub.30 substituted alkylene, C.sub.2-C.sub.30 substituted
alkyne; R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 are the same or different
and are selected from the group consisting of C.sub.1-C.sub.30 alkoxy
straight chin on branched and a, b, c and d are each either 0 or 1, and
a, b, c and d add up to 1, 2, 3, or 4.
