X-ray photoelectron spectra have been obtained and comparisons have been made for 1-2-3 and 2-1-1 phases of YBaCuO compounds. The photoelectron binding energies of all the constituent elements are consistently larger for the 2-1-1 phase than for the 1-2-3 phase. The peak intensities reflect different stoichiometries of the two phases. For the superconducting 1-2-3 phase, its degradation in air and interaction with water and carbon dioxide were examined by taking core level spectra of all the elements. It appears that yttrium is the most affected by exposure to air, since it undergoes a rapid change to carbonate when water and subsequently carbon dioxide are introduced.