Doubly charged ions produced by electron impact ionization of toluene undergo metastable decomposition. We have determined decay channels for C7Hy2+ (y = 6-8) and the average kinetic energy release (KER) by applying the MIKE scan technique. We observe several reactions that have not been reported previously, including H-2 elimination from C7H82+ The KER distribution for H, loss shows no evidence for a reverse barrier. The average KER is < 0.1 eV; it exhibits a distinct time dependence and isotope effect. On the other hand, some charge separation reactions reported previously in the literature are likely due to isotopic interference. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.