The electrocatalytic hydrogenation of phenol on highly dispersed Pt on carbon has been investigated. The comparison of the hydrogenation performance of Pt/C and Pt/Pt electrodes containing the same amount of Pt or the same real electrochemical surface area shows that Pt/C electrode is electrocatalytically more active. Explanations related to this difference in activity are discussed. The study of the reaction mechanism suggests that the surface reaction between adsorbed species is the rate determining step which is the same as that proposed for platinized platinum electrode.