This article is focused on the description of the synthesis, spectroscopic, electrochemical properties, and the free radical photoinitiation abilities of new threecationic carbocyanine dyes. A new synthestic strategy for preparation of symmetrical cyanine dyes has been developed based on the 2-methylbenzothiazole, 2-methylbenzoxazole and 2,3,3-trimethylindolinium quaternization by a-bromo-x-tertiary ammonium salts followed by the condensation of obtained product with triethyl ortho-formate. Resulted dyes possess in one molecule three quaternary nitrogen atoms, for example, they are three-cationic in character. Novel three-cationic symmetric carbocyanine dyes paired with n-butyltriphenylborate anions are very efficient photoinitiators of free radical polymerization of acrylate monomers, for example, (TMPTA) when irradiated with the visible emission of an argon-ion laser. The photoinitiating abilities of the novel photoredox pairs were compared to the photoinitiation properties of their monocationic equivalents, for example, N,N 0 -diethylthia-, N,N 0 -diethyloxa-and N,N 0 -dimethylindocarbocyanine n-butyltriphenylborates (SB2, OB2, and IB2) and also compared to the initiation ability of Rose Bengal derivative, for example, typical triplet state photoinitiator. The kinetic studies clearly demonstrated that the three-cationic carbocyanine borate photoredox pairs exhibit a significant increase in the efficiency of TMPTA free radical polymerization in comparison to the photoredox pairs containing structurally related, mono-cationic carbocyanine borates. It was also shown that, the addition of a second coinitiator to the cyanine borate salts enhances their photoinitiating abilities. The best results were obtained for three cationic carbocyanine borates in the presence of second coinitiator being N-methoxypyridinium n-butyltriphenylborate. The photoinitiating abilities of the systems of these types are more effective than those composed of carbocyanine cation/borate anion exclusively. V V C 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: [4636][4637][4638][4639][4640][4641][4642][4643][4644][4645][4646][4647][4648][4649][4650][4651][4652][4653][4654] 2009