A heterogeneous catalyst consisting of [1,2-bis(salicylidene amino)-phenylene] zirconium complex chemically bonded to carbamate-modified silica gel catalyst has been synthesized and the oxidation of n-heptane using molecular oxygen was studied in a batch reactor system. The study was conducted in the temperature range of 160-200degreesC. The product distribution was found to be entirely different from that reported in literature. Cyclohexanone was the only oxygenated product formed, the rest being isomerized products of hexane and heptane (2-methylpentane. methylcyclopentane, 4-methyl, 1-pentene and toluene). Experiments suggest that in the oxidation of heptane carried out in this work, reforming reaction occurred first and cyclohexane formed undergoes oxidation to give cyclohexanone. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that the catalyst starts breaking only beyond 383 degreesC. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.