Zn1-xFexO nanocrystallines are prepared by precipitation method, and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-vis diffuses reflectance spectroscopy. Zn1-xFexO nanocrystallines show high photocatalytic activities for xanthate degradation at pH 7 under visible light irradiation. Zn0.96Fe0.04O nanocrystallines exhibit the highest photocatalytic efficiency, which is attributed to the balance between visible light absorption and valence band edge potential. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.