Novel trisubstituted ethylenes, halogen, methyl, methoxy and nitro ring-substituted octyl phenylcyanoacrylates, RPhCH=C(CN)CO2CH2(CH2)6CH3 (where R is 2-chloro-6-fluoro, 3-chloro-4-fluoro, 2-chloro-5-nitro, 4-chloro-3-nitro, 5-chloro-2-nitro, 5-iodo-2-methoxy, 2,4,5-trimethyl, 2,4,6-trimethyl, pentamethyl, 2,3-dimethyl-4-methoxy, 2,5-dimethyl-4-methoxy, 2,4-dimethoxy-3-methyl) were prepared and copolymerized with styrene. The ethylenes were synthesized by the piperidine catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation of ring-substituted benzaldehydes and octyl cyanoacetate, and characterized by CHN analysis, IR, 1H and 13C NMR. All the ethylenes were copolymerized with styrene in solution with radical initiation (ABCN) at 70C. The compositions of the copolymers were calculated from nitrogen analysis.