The selective oxidation of o-xylene on catalysts based on mesoporous titanium phosphate-supported vanadium oxide has been studied. The catalysts were characterized by different physico-chemical techniques (XRD, XPS, N-2 isotherms, TPD of chemisorbed NH3 and Raman spectroscopy). The conversion and yield to phthalic anhydride increased with vanadium oxide loading up to one theoretical monolayer. Beyond this point, no substantial improvement was achieved. Moreover, a significant improvement in the yield of phthatic anhydride, coinciding with a decrease in the formation of carbon oxides, was observed when potassium was incorporated to the vanadium catalysts. The enhancement of the phthalic anhydride yield was correlated with the neutralization of the stronger surface acid centers by the K+ ions, providing evidence for the hypothesis that stronger acid sites are involved in the formation of total oxidation products (carbon oxides). (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.