Emission spectra of xanthone vapor have been measured at different temperatures along with the excitation and absorption spectra. Fluorescence from the S-1(n, pi*), (1)A(2) and phosphorescence from the T-1( n, pi*), (3)A(2) states were separated to extract only the fluorescence spectrum. The vibrational structure of the fluorescence was interpreted in terms of the C=O stretching mode and the modes combined with the C=O stretching, showing a maximum near 24000 cm (1). The locations of the S-1 and T-1 origins are observed at 26940 and 25700 cm (1), respectively. Analysis of the data includes the determination of the vibrational frequencies in the fluorescence and phosphorescence. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.