A number of powder phosphors have been measured by a direct optical method. Results are compared with other published values. Although slight discrepancies are found for magnesium and calcium tungstate at the 2537A position, the maximum quantum efficiency for magnesium tungstate is in good agreement with the published values. Good agreement is also found for impurity-activated phosphors. New data are presented for a number of orthophosphates. The quantum efficiency curves decrease more rapidly than the absorption curves toward both longer and shorter wave lengths from the peak position. The peaks of the quantum efficiency curves lie at longer wave lengths than those of the absorption curves. Reasons for these differences are discussed.Knowledge of the wave-length dependence of the quantum efficiency and absorption of phosphors provides an important foundation for the theoretical interpretation of luminescent properties, as well as for the development or technical application of phosphors.The quantum efficiency of powder phosphors has been measured by several methods (1), i.e., by direct optical, lamp efficiency calculation, calorimetric, and comparison methods. The second method used by Thayers and Barnes (2) and others (3-6) consists of comparing the measured luminous efficiency of a fluorescent lamp with its calculated maximum efficiency. This method involves some ambiguous assumptions concerning the optical characteristics of the phosphor layer in the fluorescent lamp. With the third or calorimetric method (1, 7) it is difficult to carry out the measurement over a wide range of exciting wave lengths, because an intense source of ultraviolet radiation is required but not available. The comparison method (1,6,8) is unsuitable to determine the absolute value of the quantum efficiency. In the present investigation, therefore, the first or direct optical method (9-11) was used to measure the wave-length dependence of many powder phosphors.