Yong-Rok Kim,

Key Words: Lanthanum-transition metal perovskite oxides, Partial oxidation of methane Direct conversion of methane to C 2-hydrocarbons via oxidative coupling reaction has received a great deal of attention for the last twenty five years because the reaction has been recognized as a promising route for the production of ethylene from natural gas. 1,2 However, the process is considered to be economically unfeasible because the yield of ethylene produced in the reaction is less than 25%. In recent, it has been proposed that the disadvantage may be overcome by integrating with processes involving endo-thermic reactions such as cracking of ethane to ethylene and steam reforming of methane to synthesis gas and the heat of the exothermic coupling reaction can be alternatively used to generate electricity. 3 An interesting potential application of perovskites as cata-lysts is their use for redox reactions. Lanthanum-transition metal perovskite oxides (LaBO 3) are proved to be effective catalysts for the catalytic oxidations of hydrocarbons, CO, and ammonia and considered to be promising materials for application as electrode materials in solid oxide fuel cells. 4-8 There are few reports on the application of LaB