Abstract A method for the synthesis of the spirobenzothiazolinonaphthoxazine, stable in the merocyanine form and containing a crown-ether fragment was developed. The complexing properties of the prepared merocyanine compound and the spectroscopic and photochromic characteristics of its complexes with alkaline earth metal cations were studied by NMR and UV spectroscopy. The results were analyzed using quantum-chemical calculations. The ...