Soluble, fluorescent, terpyridine-substituted, conjugated polymers were prepared and characterized. The polymer chains included a defined oligo(phenylenevinylene) fragment, on which the terpyridine-functional group was attached. The polymers were blue-fluorescent with emission peaks at 400-427 nm in tetrahydrofuran solutions. Upon chelation with the Zn(II) cation, the emission maxima were shifted to a longer wavelength by as much as 113 to 506-526 nm. A model compound was also prepared to aid the structural characterization. The ratio of terpyridine to Zn2+ in the polymer complex was found to be 1:1 on the basis of spectroscopic evidence, which included mass spectrometry, H-1 NMR, and Job titration. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.