We report the synthesis and photophysical characterization of four 9,10-disubstituted diphenylanthracenes\ud with specific modifications of the model backbone which involve both the 9,10 para\ud substituents at the phenyl rings and the substitution with carbon-carbon triple bonds. The effects\ud of such modifications on the photoluminescence and electroluminescence properties have been\ud investigated on the basis of the diphenylanthracene molecular characteristics and in view of application\ud to light-emitting devices. We have found that the substitution with the carbon-carbon\ud triple bonds at the two 9,10-phenyls noticeably alters the electronic states of the reference molecule,\ud also introducing a certain degree of sensitivity to the phenyl substituents, which improves\ud the tunability of the optical emission. Differently, the 9,10 para substituents produce minor changes\ud in the single-molecule properties, due to the lack of electronic conjugation across the 9,10-phenyls.\ud However, even a single nitro substituent in the phenyl para position produces the formation of excimers,\ud which appreciably reduces the optical quantum efficiency. These properties are maintained\ud in solid-state blends and simple spin-coated bilayer electroluminescent devices have been\ud fabricated