A chromene compound which develops a color of a neutral tint and has little initial coloration, high double peak characteristic and high color development sensitivity, rarely experiences the reduction of color optical density though it has high fading speed, is excellent in the durability of photochromic properties and can dissolve in a monomer composition which will become a substrate for optical articles in a high concentration, and a photochromic curable composition comprising the chromene compound and polymerizable monomers.
The chromene compound is represented by the following formula (1).
(wherein R3 at the 11-position is a second sulfur-containing substituent selected from the group consisting of thiol group, alkylthio group, alkoxyalkylthio group, haloalkylthio group, cycloalkylthio group, arylthio group, heteroarylthio group, sulfonyl group and sulfinyl group, R1 and R2 at the 6-position and the 7-position are a combination of an aryl group or a heteroaryl group and an electron donating group having a Hammett constant σp of −0.1 or less, or R1 and/or R2 is a first sulfur-containing substituent selected from thiol group, alkylthio group, alkoxyalkylthio group, haloalkylthio group, cycloalkylthio group, arylthio group and heteroarylthio group.).