The aromatization of n-heptane on Pt-containing reforming catalysts was significantly enhanced in either nitrogen alone or nitrogen-containing diluent gas. This study was carried out on fresh Pt- and Pt-Re/Al2O3 catalysts in a microcatalytic reactor at temperatures between 420 and 500 degrees C, W/F between 0.83 and 3.75 mgr min(-1) ml(-1) and at a total pressure of 3.92 bar. These studies were complimented with others on a decaying Pt/Al2O3 catalyst. Results obtained suggest fundamental differences between the two catalysts and also with the choice of carrier gas. On Pt/Al2O3 catalyst in N-2 carrier, aromatization with complete demethylation is obtained at all temperatures, except at 420 degrees C where demethylation is found to be incomplete. In contrast, in H-2 carrier, demethylation is negligible on the Pt/Al2O3 catalyst. With the Pt-Re/Al2O3 catalyst, reaction in H-2 predominantly produces methane while reaction in N-2 appears to impart intrinsic aromaticity to the bimetallic catalyst albeit with an attenuation of the overall activity. In H-2-N-2 mixtures, demethylation activity seems to decrease with increasing H-2 content on Pt/Al2O3 catalyst and found to be quite low at 50% H-2. The threshold of the introduction of intrinsic aromaticity on the Pt-Re/Al2O3 was found to occur at 50% N-2; below this value, the bimetallic catalyst reverts to a complete cracking catalyst. The aromatization on a deactivating Pt/Al2O3 catalyst was successfully modeled with first order reaction and deactivation rates.