Due to their very substantial fluorescence emission, pyrylium and thio
pyrylium salts are widely used as laser dyes and photosensitizers. Thi
s paper deals with the fluorescence properties (quantum yields and wav
elengths of the fluorescence maxima as well as the Lifetimes of the si
nglet excited states) of eight pyrylium and ten thiopyrylium salts, wi
th special emphasis on the effect of alpha and gamma substitutions of
the heterocycle.