The Fe/Mo/partially deboronated borosilicate molecular sieve catalyst prepared by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method was active for the selective formation of phenol by gas-phase N2O oxidation of benzene. The impregnated counterpart exhibited lower activity than the CVD catalyst. The borosilicate molecular sieve itself also was active. Two mechanistic paths are postulated based on reactive oxygen species such as O-, which can be generated via interaction of N2O with the iron sites in the CVD-borosilicate molecular sieve catalyst, or OH+, which can be generated by Bronsted sites on the borosilicate molecular sieve itself.