Three chlorinated dimethyl sulfones and five chlorinated thiophenes have been identified in the alkaline extraction liquor from a bleach plant by gas chromatography with atomic emission detection (GC-AED) and with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The information on elemental content obtained by GC-AED enabled a rapid screening of the sulfur compounds and provided important structural information complementary to the mass spectral data. Quantitation was accomplished by GC-AED based on universal calibration.