This review intends to describe and critically analyze the growing literature dealing with the use of supported gold catalysts in the catalytic deep oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Among the wide family of VOC, attention has been given to the oxidation of saturated (methane, ethane, propane, isobutane, n-hexane) and unsaturated (acetylene, ethylene, propene) aliphatic compounds, aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, xylenes, naphthalene), alcohols (methanol, ethanol, n- and iso-propanol), aldehydes (formaldehyde), ketones (acetone), esters (ethylacetate). Moreover, the oxidation of chlorinated VOC (dichloromethane, o-dichlorobenzene, o-chlorobenzene), as well as of nitrogen(trimethylamine) and sulphur-containing (dimethyldisulfide) compounds has been addressed. The reaction mechanism and the influence of different factors, such as the nature and the properties of the support, the Au particle size and shape, the electronic state of gold, the preparation method and the pretreatment conditions of catalysts, the nature and the concentration of the organic molecule, are discussed in detail. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.