The method here presented is intended for application in the analysis of trace quantities of petroleum hydrocarbons in oil-polluted mussels. It is a technique incorporating saponification, pentane extraction and silica gel cleanup, and represents a modification and ad hoc synthesis of other procedures. Recovery efficiencies of the method are 80% or greater for C/sub 15/ to C/sub 38/ n-alkanes, and vary between 0% for naphthalene and 84% for pyrene. Isolation and quantification of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) fraction are of importance in environmental monitoring; some compounds in this group are either known or suspected to be carcinogenic agents. Concomitant analysis for the saturated hydrocarbons fraction can provide essential clues to the petrogenic or pyrolytic origin of the PAHs.