Catalysts based on oxides with a high lattice oxygen mobility and reactivity are known to be able to efficiently transform ethanol into syngas by selective oxidation. Mechanism of this reaction over Pt/Pr(0.15)Em(0.15)Ce(0.35)Zr(0.35)O(2) catalyst was studied by using SSITKA and pulse microcalorimetry. The rate-determining step is C-C bond rupture in ethanol/acetaldehyde molecules, while C-H bond breaking in the ethanol dehydrogenation step proceeds easily. The mechanism is described by step-wise red-ox scheme including ethanol oxidative decomposition on Pt sites with participation of bridging oxygen species (with the heat of adsorption similar to 550 kJ/mol O-2) located at Pt-oxide interface followed by fast reoxidation of reduced support sites by O-2. Rapid oxygen migration from the oxide sites to Pt provides conjugation between these steps, thus suppressing coking. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.