After excitation by 3130-Å light the anion of 1-naphthoic acid in ethanol solution internally converts to the triplet form of the acid. The excited-state equilibrium can be shifted by the addition of a base or an acid. Numerous total emission spectra of 1-naphthoic acid in various solvents can be understood in terms of some well-established principles governing non-radiative energy transfer processes within and between complex molecules.No quantitative equilibrium studies are presented. The results indicate that the lowest excited states of the acid, singlet and triplet, are of π,π* character. The lowest excited singlet state of the anionic form is most probably n,π*, while the lowest triplet level is π,π*.