This review examines the recent literature on the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethane and propane, which aims for the synthesis of the corresponding alkenes. The following aspects are discussed: (a) the main features affecting the catalytic properties of systems based on supported vanadium oxide and molybdenum oxide; (b) the characteristics of catalysts producing outstanding olefin yields; (c) advantages in selectivity gained by means of either special reactor configurations or non-conventional conduction of the reaction; (d) the contribution of homogeneous reactions to the formation of olefins during the oxidation of alkanes. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.