Nano-gold particles supported on different alkaline earth oxides (viz. MgO, CaO, BaO and SrO), Gr. IIIa metal oxides (viz. Al 2 O 3, Ga 2 O 3, In 2 O 3 and Tl 2 O 3 ), transition metal oxides (viz), rare earth metal oxides ([all prepared by depositing gold on corresponding metal oxide support by deposition precipitation (DP) and/or homogeneous deposition precipitation (HDP) method] were evaluated for their catalytic performance in the liquid phase epoxidation of styrene by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) to styrene oxide and also in the solvent-free benzyl alcohol-to-benzaldehyde oxidation (by molecular oxygen or TBHP) reactions. For the epoxidation, the catalytic performance (styrene oxide yield) of the most promising nano-gold catalysts prepared by the HDP method was in the following order: Au/MgO [