Modifications of commercial activated carbons by chemical treatment with HNO3 or HCl and HF and the adsorption behavior of simple aromatic compounds (aniline, pyridine, phenol, and benzene) on activated carbon and modified activated carbon were investigated. The results show that the textural properties change a little after these modifications, but the surface acidity (mainly oxygen-containing groups) of activated carbon modified with HNO3 increases greatly The effect of ash of activated carbon on adsorption of the organic compounds mentioned above is insignificant. However, addition of surface acidity (mainly surface oxygen-containing groups) decreases the adsorption capacity of compounds significantly. The adsorption uptake of compounds on activated carbon with oxidation of HNO3 is low possibly due to dispersive interaction, water cluster blocking, or competition between water and compounds adsorbed on activated carbon's surface because of hydrophilic increase of the activated carbon surface. The solubility of aromatic compounds in water has an important effect on the adsorption capacity of activated carbon. q(m) and K-L (Langmuir adsorption parameters) for the aromatic compounds vary similarly.