TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred compounds: (I) is a compound of formula (III)-(VII). New compounds (XI) and (XII) are intermediates for (III) and (XIII) for (VI).Z1, Z2 = as for Z;j, k = 0-2;one of Z3, Z4 = (II) and the other is (II) or optionally substituted alkyl;Y1, Y2 = group completing an optionally substituted heterocyclic ring;R1, R2 = H, halo or other substituent; orR1+R2 on adjacent C = group completing optionally substituted condensed benzene ring;R3-R6 = 1-11C alkyl; oradjacent R3-R6 = group completing a ring;A = H, halo or another substituent;i = 1 or 2;R12 = CH3 or substituent which can generate a bond by elimination reaction, such as -OCH3 or -SCH3. EXAMPLE - 3-Iodopropyl ferrocene (25 g) and 2,3,3-trimethyl-4,5-benzindolenine (14.2 g) were refluxed in toluene (100 ml) for 8 hours, cooled to room temperature and treated with diethyl ether. The precipitated salt was dissolved in methanol (100 ml), treated with 60% aqueous sodium perchlorate (25 g) and stirred at 70 degrees C for 1 hour. The solution was cooled and treated with water (100 ml). The precipitated salt was recrystallized from methanol/ethyl acetate to give 1-ferrocene propyl-2,3,3-trimethyl-4,5-benzindolenine perchlorate (26.3 g; 72 % yield). A solution of this compound (14.4 g) and 2-(2-acetanilide vinyl)-1,3,3-trimethyl-4,5-benzindolenine perchlorate (12.9 g) in dimethylformamide (50 ml) was treated with triethylamine (5 g) and stirred for 3 hours. Isopropyl alcohol (100 ml) was added and the crude crystals (17.2 g) of pigment were washed with aqueous methanol, dried, dissolved in dimethylformamide (50 ml), filtered, and precipitated by gradually adding methanol (200 ml) and stirring slowly to give the cyanine compound of formula (XLIII) (12.2 g; 99.8 % purity; 62 % yield) with absorption maximum in methanol solution of 587.0 (585) nm; on a glass plate 613 (612) nm; molar absorption 1.1 (1.2) x 105 (dm3mol1cm1), thermal decomposition start point 203.8 (242.1) degreesC. When the compound was formed into a film on polycarbonate and made into a DVD recording material and used with a laser of 650 nm, it had light deterioration of 9 (60) %, and loss after immersion in 50 degrees C water for 30 minutes of 23 (96)%. Figures in brackets refer to a comparison compound with the N-ferrocene propyl and the N-methyl groups both replaced by a C4H9 group and the recording material contained ferrocene as stabilizer.