Thioacetic acid S-(10-{4-[2-cyano-2-(4-dicyanomethylenecyclohexa-2,5-dienylidene) ethylidene]-4H-quinolin-1-yl}decyl)ester (1a) forms self-assembled monolayers on gold with loss of the acetyl group, the thickness and contact area being 2.25 +/- 0.05 nm and 0.36 +/- 0.03 nm(2) molecule(-1) respectively. The films exhibit asymmetric current-voltage characteristics, which have been unambiguously assigned to molecular rectification.