Abstract Two series of 1-aryl-3-phenyl-and 1-aryl-3, 3-diphenylpyrrolidine-2, 5-diones were synthesized and their solvatochromic properties were studied in a set of 15 solvents of different polarity. The effect of specific and non-specific solvent–solute interactions on the position of their absorption bands was evaluated by using the solvent parameter sets of Kamlet and Taft. The interpretation of the effect of different substituent patterns on the ...