Thirty six 1‐pyridyl‐2‐arylethenes XCH=CHArY (abbreviated XAEY) were synthesized, in which, X is 2‐pyridyl, 3‐pyridyl and 4‐pyridyl and Y is OMe, Me, H, Br, Cl, F, CF3, and CN. Their ultraviolet absorption spectra were measured in anhydrous ethanol, and their wavelengths of absorption maximum λmax were recorded. Also, the 234 λmax values of 1‐substituted phenyl‐2‐arylethylene compounds (XAEY, where X is substituted phenyl) were collected. The excited‐state substituent constants
σCC()pex()X of three pyridyl groups and 23 substituted phenyl groups (total of 26) were obtained by means of curve‐fitting method. Taking the λmax values of 358 samples of bi‐arylethene derivatives as a data set and 126 samples of bi‐aryl Schiff bases (including nine compounds synthesized by this work) as another data set, quantitative correlation analyses were performed by employing the obtained
σCC()pex()X as a parameter, and good results were obtained for the two data sets. The reliability of the obtained
σCC()pex()X values was verified. The results of this paper can provide excited‐state substituent constants for the study and application of optical properties of conjugated organic compounds containing aryl groups.