The adsorption of cyclohexane, cyclohexene, 1,3-cyclohexadiene, 1,4-cyclohexadiene and benzene was studied on pristine and shortened multi-wall carbon nanotubes, SBA-15 and a novel high surface area mesoporous carbon (CMH). Data were fitted with the Freundlich adsorption equation and the correlation between the fitted parameters and quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) descriptors of the adsorbates was analyzed. Adsorption on carbon nanotubes is more sensitive to the partial pressure of unsaturated adsorbates, whereas SBA-15 is more sensitive to saturated partners. CMH is a neutral material that appears to be particularly useful for studying catalyst particle efficiency without the influence of the support itself. (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.