Microencapsulation of gold particles was carried out by means of in situ polymerization of urea and formaldehyde. The influence of the amount of organic solvent (dimethyl sulfide) and the gold precursor to polymer mass ratio (Au/PUF) on the encapsulation process and the physical properties of the resulting catalysts have been studied. The amount of DMS has a marked influence on the morphology of the microparticles, affecting to both the porosity outer surface and the encapsulated gold particle size. Synthesized poly(urea-formaldehyde) microparticles containing gold were tested in the liquid phase selective oxidation of glycerol. Obtained results showed that both the amount of DMS and the Au/PUF mass ratio played an important role in the deposition of the gold particles and, consequently, in its catalytic response. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.