A photokinetic investigation is here carried out on four newly synthesized diarylethenes with the aim to test their performance as photoreversible chromogenic and light emitting materials. The pentatomic ring, which fixes these diarylethenes in the cis conformation, contains a Si atom or a PO group. The 1,2 positions at the ethenic bond are symmetrically substituted with thienyl or benzothienyl groups. The results are compared with those for the structurally related and widely studied 1,2-bis(2-methyl-benzo[b]thiophen-3-yl)perfluorocyclopentene (BTF6), investigated here under the same experimental conditions. Spectra of the colorless and colored forms and photoreaction quantum yields were determined; temperature, excitation wavelength and viscosity effects were explored. Compounds containing benzothienyl substituents were found to be good bistable photochromes, with high photochemical yields of both the cyclization and cycloreversion reactions, and to display appreciable fluorescence emission from the colored forms, which is a rare and desirable property for photochromes. In contrast, the molecules not bearing the benzene condensed rings were found unsuitable as photochromes because of side degradation processes occurring in competition with cyclization.