Abstract
Poly-(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films, colored with pyridinium ylids and dried by water evaporation, become stretched under the heating influence. The visible electronic spectra of the stretched films were measured for linearly polarized visible radiations having their electric field intensity parallel and perpendicular on the stretching direction. The dichroism of the colored PVA films depends on the stretching degree. The birefringence of each film was estimated by using a polarizing microscope with compensatory wedge. Keywords: stretched PVA films, pyridinium ylids, dichroism, birefringence