Electronic absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies are employed to show that anthrone and its cation are closer to carbonyl derivatives of benzene in electronic structure than to derivatives of anthracene. The anion derived from anthrone is, however, a phenolic anthracene anion by electronic structure and by chemical reactivity. The phenolic 9-anthranol tautomer observed in some nonaqueous media is not measurably present in water at room temperatures in the ground electronic state. However, although neither anthrone or 9-anthrol fluoresce in water, there is evidence from the pH dependence of the fluorescence of the anion, to indicate that at least some of the 9-anthrol tautomer is present in the lowest excited singlet state.