Structures and energies of protonated ethylbenzene and 2,6-dimethylethylbenzene have been studied by quantum chemical calculations. The main goal is to study the mechanism for splitting off ethene from protonated ethylbenzene. Data are reported for the four ethylbenzenium isomers arising depending on the position of the proton on the benzene ring: a pi complex where ethene is weakly bonded to a benzenium ion and two transition states connected with the cleavage of the ethylbenzenium ion. The larger part of the data that are reported has been obtained at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory. Energies obtained by the Gaussian-3 G3B3 composite method are also given. Computations have also been carried out at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. The calculated results can be reconciled with published experimental observations, and they give information about the reaction system that is not obtained by experimental techniques.