Platinum nanoparticles, synthesized via ethanol reduction of hexachloroplatinic acid in the presence of poly-(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone), were anchored on magnesium aluminate spinel using a colloidal deposition method. The samples were characterized using the following methods: transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results revealed that platinum nanoparticles, with an average diameter of 2.8 nm, are homogenously dispersed on the surface of the carrier. Under very mild conditions, supported Pt/MgAl 2 O 4 catalysts demonstrated excellent catalytic activity and high selectivity in the hydrogenation reaction of benzaldehydes to benzyl alcohols. The reaction kinetics for the catalytic hydrogenation of 3-phenoxybenzaldehyde to 3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol on a Pt/MgAl 2 O 4 catalyst can be described by equation r ¼ k  c 1:44  p H 2 , and the apparent activation energy is 35.6 kJ mol -1 .