Two types of arylidene compounds were synthesized by reacting p-hydroxybenzaldehyde with acetone [1,5-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one] (PBHP) and cyclohexanone [2,6-bis(4-hydroxybenzylidene)cyclohexanone] (HBC). 1,4-Pentadien-3-one-1-p-hydroxyphenyl-5-p-phenyl methacrylate (PHPPMA) and 4-{[-3-(4-hydroxybenzylidene)-2-oxocyclohexylidene]methyl}phenyl acrylate (HBA) were prepared by reacting PBHP and HBC with methacryloyl chloride and acryloyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine, respectively. Copolymerization of different feed compositions of PHP-PMA and HBA with 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) was carried out using a free-radical solution polymerization technique in ethyl methyl ketone (MEK) using benzoyl peroxide (BPO). All the monomer and polymers were characterized by IR and NMR (H-1/C-13) spectroscopic techniques. The reactivity ratio of the monomers were obtained using Fineman-Ross (FR), Kelen-Tudos (KT), and extended Kelen-Tudos (exKT) methods. The photocrosslinking properties of the polymers were done using a UV absorption spectroscopy technique. Homopolymers of both the arylidene polymers shows similar trend towards the rate of photocrosslinking. The rate of photocrosslinking was enhanced when the cyclohexanone based arylidene monomer was copolymerized with HEA. Thermal stability and molecular weights (M-w and M-n) of the polymers were determined. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.