Spectroscopic and excited-state properties of tri-9-anthrylborane (TAB), showing unique absorption and fluorescence characteristics originating from p(boron)-pi(anthryl group) orbital interactions, were studied in 12 solvents. Although the absorption maximum energy (nu(a)) of TAB which appeared at around 21 x 10(3) cm(-1) (band 1) was almost independent of the solvent polarity parameter, f(X) (f(X) = (D-s -1)/(2D(s) + 1) - (n(2) - 1)/(2n(2) + 1) where D, and n represent the static dielectric constant and the refractive index of a solvent, respectively), the fluorescence maximum energy (nu(f)) showed a linear correlation wit f(X). The f(X) dependence of the value Of nu(a) - nu(f) demonstrated that the change in the dipole moment of TAB upon light excitation was similar to 8.0 D, indicating that absorption band I was ascribed to an intramolecular charge-transfer transition in nature. The excited electron of TAB was thus concluded to localize primarily on the p orbital of the boron atom. Furthermore, it was shown that the fluorescence lifetime and quantum yield of TAB varied from 11.8 to 1.1 ns and from 0.41 to 0.02, respectively, with an increase in f(X). The present results indicated that the nonradiative decay rate constant (k(nr)) of TAB was influenced significantly by f(X). Excited-state decay of TAB was understood by intramolecular back-electron (charge) transfer from the p orbital of the boron atom to the pi orbital of the anthryl group, which was discussed in terms of the energy gap dependence of k(nr). Specific solvent interactions of TAB revealed by the present spectroscopic and photophysical studies are also discussed.