[en] Electron absorption and emission spectra have been obtained for ten aromatic derivatives of lithium, boron, aluminium and gallium in inert and electron-donor solvents at 295 and 77 deg K. The observed intensive long-wave bands, whose psrameters depend on a particular element, aromatic radical structure and solvent donor capacity, are associated with the electronic transitions in the aromatic system disturbed by an intra- and intermolecular charge transfer with participation of free p-orbitals of the element. A decrease in the total luminescent capacity of the examined molecules with the growth of atomic number of the element has been revealed, which can be accounted for by the heavy atom effect and a higher probability of various non-radiative processes, including molecular photodissociation along the C-M link