This paper presents experimental and modelling results for the oxidation of mixtures of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in a lean atmosphere. Transient light-off experiments over a platinum catalyst (80 g/ft(3) loading) supported on a washcoated ceramic monolith were performed with a slow inlet temperature ramp. Results for CO alone agree with earlier results that predict self-inhibition of CO; that is an increasing light-off temperature with increasing CO concentration. Addition of hydrogen to the feed causes a reduction in light-off temperature for all concentrations of CO studied. The most significant shift in light-off temperature occurs with the addition of small amounts of hydrogen (500 ppm, v/v) with only minor marginal enhancement occurring at higher hydrogen concentrations. Hydrogen alone in a lean atmosphere will oxidise at room temperature. In mixtures of hydrogen and CO, the CO was observed to react first until a conversion of about 50% was observed, at which point the conversion of hydrogen rapidly went from 0 to 100%. Simulations performed using literature mechanistic models for the oxidation of these mixtures predicted that hydrogen ignites first, followed by CO, a direct contradiction of the experimental evidence. Upon changing the activation energy between adsorbed hydrogen and oxygen, the CO was observed to oxidise first, however, no enhancement of light-off was predicted. The effect cannot be explained by the mechanistic model currently under discussion. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.