A series of Al- and Ga-promoted tungstated zirconia strong solid acid catalysts were prepared. The effect of Al2O3 and Ga2O3 on the structural, acidic and redox features of WO3/ZrO2 (WZ) has been characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), N-2 adsorption (BET), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-vis), infrared spectra (IR), NH3 temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD) and H-2 temperature-programmed reduction (H-2-TPR). With respect to tungstated zirconia, the promoted catalysts stabilized the zirconia terragonal phase, prevented crystalline WO3 growth. Al or Ga addition to WZ had less effect on the strength of the acid sites, but effected reduction temperature of WZ. The isomerization of n-butane was investigated at 300degreesC over tungstated zirconia and promoted catalysts. The promoted catalysts improved the isomerization conversion and stability in the presence of hydrogen. The best Al and Ga loading in these catalysts is around 0.5 and 1.0%, respectively, and the optimal calcination temperature is similar to850degreesC. The experiment results showed that Ga was a more efficient promoter than Al. Pt addition to promoted catalysts showed great improvement on the performance of selectivity and stability. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.