The standard (p(o) = 0,1 MPa) molar enthalpy of formation for crystalline 2,3-dihydroxypyridine was measured, at T = 298.15 K by static bomb calorimetry and the standard molar enthalpy of sublimation, at T = 298.15 K, was obtained using Calvet microcalorimetry. These values were used to derive the standard molar enthalpy of formation of 2,3-dihydroxypyridine in gaseous phase, at T = 298.15 K, -(263.9 +/-4.6) kJ . mol(-1). Additionally, high-level density functional theory calculations using the B3LYP hybrid exchange-correlation energy functional with extended basis sets have been performed for all dihydroxypyridine isomers to determine the thermochemical order of stability of these systems. The agreement between experiment and theory for the 2,3-dihydroxypyridine isomer gives confidence to the estimates of the enthalpies of formation concerning the other five isomers. It is found that the enthalpic increment for the dihydroxy substitution of pyridine is equal to the sum of the respective enthalpic increment of the monosubstituted pyridines. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.