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Total suspended particles (TSP) were collected at the summit of Mt. Tai (1534 m above sea level) on a daytime and nighttime basis during a summertime campaign (May–June 2006) and were characterized for organic molecular compositions using solvent extraction/derivatization and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry technique. The n‐Alkanes, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, sugars, glycerol and polyacids, and phthalate esters were found as major organic compound classes, whereas lignin and resin products, sterols, aromatic acids, hopanes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected as minor classes. Sugars (49.8–2115 ng m⁻³, average 640 ng m⁻³ in daytime; 18.1–4348 ng m⁻³, 799 ng m⁻³ in nighttime) were found to be the dominant compound class. Levoglucosan, a specific cellulose pyrolysis product, was detected as the most abundant single compound, followed by C₂₈ fatty alcohol …