The catalytic activity of Bronsted acid sites in zeolites was studied by the monomolecular conversion of propane over zeolites with varying framework topologies and SUM ratios. The rates and apparent activation energies of cracking and dehydrogenation were determined. The activity of the Bronsted acid sites depends on the rate-limiting step of the reaction. In the cracking reaction, the protonation of the alkane is the rate-limiting step, and the heat of reactant adsorption dominates the differences in the observed activity. The similar intrinsic activities over the different zeolites show that the ability of zeolitic Bronsted acid sites to transfer a proton to an alkane does not vary significantly, suggesting that the acid sites that participate in the reaction have very similar strengths. In the dehydrogenation reaction, the rate-limiting step is the desorption of the alkoxide species. The rate is determined by the stability of the alkoxide species, which is influenced by the local geometric and electronic structure of the Bronsted acid site and is affected by zeolite structure and Si/Al ratio. Implications of these conclusions are related to other reactions, such as catalytic cracking and alkylation. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.