Water soluble compounds were extracted from the dominant cryptogams of the Windmill Islands, Wilkes Land, and compared with standard polyols, sugars and amino acids using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Previous findings for sugars and polyols from gas liquid chromatorgraphy were validated and extended. Arabitol, ribitol and mannitol were confirmed as the major soluble carbohydrate compounds in all lichen species examined. Sucrose, fructose and glucose, but no polyols were detected in two species of moss. Sorbitol was confirmed as a major component of the algae Prasiola crispa and Schizogonium murale. Mesotaenium bergrenii was confirmed to contain sucrose and glucose. No significant quantities of sugars or polyols or any other compound were found in extracts of the red snow alga Chloromonas sp.1. Amino acids were detected in the majority of cryptogam samples and were particularly abundant in the algae P. crispa and S. murale. In the latter species the total identified acids ranged from 13.5–66mg g-1 dry weight. In addition to the common amino acid components of proteins, betaine and γ-amino-butyric acid were detected, the latter being particularly abundant, being found widely in the moss, lichen and algae. Several unknown carbohydrates were characterized. Usnea sphacelata, U. antarctica and Pseudephebe minuscula contained a deoxy-hexitol, Grimmia antarctici contained resonance peaks consistent with a trisaccharide containing a sucrose moiety and Umbilicaria decussata possibly contained a glucose-arabitol dimer. 13C NMR was confirmed as a powerful tool for the characterization of low molecular weight constituents of Antarctic cryptogams.