Monometallic and bimetallic catalysts based on Au and Pt metal supported on carbon, were synthesized by varying the nature of Pt precursor and the reducing agent. It was found that the nature of Pt precursor in combination with reducing agent, significantly affected the process of reduction and particle growth. The catalytic performance of the synthesized Pt/C catalysts in the liquid phase oxidation of glycerol was considerably affected in terms of activity and distribution of products. Reduction by H-2 and NaBH4 depending on the nature of the Pt precursor resulted in the most active and selective catalysts. Improvement of activity was found by addition of Au. (c) 2006 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.