Effects of alkaline-earth metals (magnesium, calcium, strontium and barium) on the physico-chemical properties and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) performances of precipitated Fe/SiO2 catalysts were investigated by N-2 physisorption, laser Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, in situ X-ray diffraction, Mossbauer effect spectroscopy, temperature programmed reduction or desorption and fixed-bed reactions. The characterization results indicated that alkaline-earth metals strengthened Fe-O bonds of Fe2O3 in as-prepared catalysts, which consequently inhibited the reduction of catalysts under H-2 atmosphere. Mg and Ca suppress the carbonization of catalysts while Sr and Ba enhance the carbonization. The H-2 adsorption was suppressed while the CO adsorption was enhanced by alkaline-earth metals. In the FTS reaction, alkaline-earth metals had no apparent influence on the CO conversion of catalysts, whereas they suppressed the formation of methane and enhanced the selectivities to olefin and higher molecular weight products. Among these alkaline-earth metals, Sr has the most pronounced influence on inhibiting the light hydrocarbon production. Furthermore, the increased Sr content can further restrain the formation of light hydrocarbons. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.