The aim of this work was to study the effect that the structural properties and metal content of various pillared-clay-supported catalysts may have on the oxidation of propene. Thus, a montmorillonite was intercalated and pillared with alumina, then used as a support for palladium and platinum with metal contents of between 0 and 2 wt.%. The resulting materials were tested in the oxidation of propene. The results obtained suggest that the nature of the metal and the metal content are the main factors governing the oxidation of propene over these catalysts. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.