Five new (2-adamantyl)naphthol derivatives (5–9, quinone methide precursors, QMP) were synthesized and their photochemical reactivity was investigated by preparative photolyses, fluorescence spectroscopy, and laser flash photolysis (LFP). Excitation of QMP 5 to S1 leads to efficient excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) coupled with dehydration, giving quinone methide QM5 which was characterized