The vapor phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol was investigated over Au/MCM-41 catalysts under aerobic conditions. The catalysts were prepared by homogeneous deposition-precipitation (HDP) method. The physico-chemical properties of the catalysts were investigated by XRD, TEM, BET surface area, CO-chemisorption, and XPS techniques. The influence of metal, nature of the support, the metal-support interactions, the catalytic activity, and stability of the Au/MCM-41 catalysts were investigated. The conversion of benzyl alcohol was increasing with decrease in the size of Au nanoparticles. Au/MCM-41 catalysts with smaller Au nanoparticles had a beneficial effect on the catalytic properties during the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.