Activated carbon has been used for the recovery and removal of benzene, toluene, and xylenes in air and water for a long time. However, removal of benzene, toluene, and xylenes from soil is very difficult. They can be removed by an increase in the apparent solubility of organic compounds in soil. The apparent solubilities of benzene, toluene, and xylene were investigated to estimate their inclusion behavior into natural cyclodextrins (CDs) and hydroxypropyl-cyclodextrins (HP-CDs) in the liquid phase. The apparent solubilities of benzene, toluene, and xylenes did not increase by adding natural CDs but did increase when HP-CDs were added. Benzene, toluene, and xylenes in a HP-CD solution depended on the relationship between the molecular diameter of benzene, toluene, and xylenes, the CD cavity size, and the 1-octanol-water partition coefficient. That of p-xylene was larger than that of o-xylene and m-xylene because of the smallest steric hindrance of p-xylene. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.