Copper oxide based systems are well appreciated for their oxidation activity. The present piece of work discusses the redox properties and catalytic activity of CuO impregnated on mesoporous alumina support. A series of catalysts with copper loading varying from 2.0 to 14 wt% were prepared by deposition precipitation method on mesa alumina obtained via surfactant assisted route using dodecylamine. CO oxidation has been taken as the test reaction for investigating the catalytic activity of these systems. The catalysts are characterised by TEM, SEM, XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, DR UV spectroscopy, N-2 adsorption-desorption study, ESR spectroscopy and TPR using H-2. The characterisations indicated CuO in highly dispersed amorphous state at copper loadings <14 wt% in the samples, and as crystalline phase at higher loadings. Easily reducible well dispersed CuO species favoured the reaction, indicating the decisive role of reducibility of the catalysts in CO oxidation. Almost complete oxidation of CO was affected over the system under the prescribed reaction conditions, and practically nil deactivation was recorded when the reaction was performed over a period of 50 h. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.