New mesoporous base catalysts (CM-HMS and CM-MCM-41) were synthesized by generating uniform particles of cerium and manganese oxides (MnO(x)/CeO(2)) in situ within hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) and MCM-41 supports. These catalysts were characterized by N(2) adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), FTIR, temperature-programmed desorption of CO(2) (CO(2)-TPD), and diffuse reflectance UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. Spectroscopic studies reveal that some particles of MnO(x)/CeO(2) are incorporated into the walls of the silica network of HMS and MCM-41, while others are highly dispersed onto the surface of the HMS or MCM-41. The catalytic activity of CM-HMS and CM-MCM-41 for the ketonization of carboxylic acids was confirmed; better utilization of Ce and Mn was observed than in unsupported MnO(x)/CeO(2). The citrate-based preparation of MnO(x)/CeO(2) catalyst supported on HMS and MCM-41 has not been previously reported in the literature. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.