The self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) method has been used to produce a highly active Cu-Cr-O mixed spinel catalyst for the oxidation of CO. SHS is characterised by processing times of the order of minutes, low preheating temperatures and high reaction temperatures produced as a result of carefully designed exothermic reactions. A range of active catalysts have been developed for various applications including oxidation of CO. The Cu-Cr-O catalyst presented here is known to be resistant to fuel impurity poisoning and high temperatures and, used as carrier for 0.05% Pd, achieved 50% conversion (light-off) at temperatures about 50 degrees C lower than conventional 0.5% Pd/Al2O3 catalysts. CO catalytic conversion of 90% is reached at temperatures of about 300 degrees C and 100% at 400 degrees C. In pellet-form without any noble metals, it reaches CO conversion of 100% at 400 degrees C, even though its specific area was only about 1 m(2)/g as compared to about 90% for traditional Pd/Al2O3 catalysts with much higher specific area.