Alkali metal-containing Mo-V-Sb-O catalysts (AMoVSbO, with A = Li, Na, K, Rb or Cs), prepared hydrothermally and activated at 600°C in N 2 , have been characterized and tested for the selective oxidation of propane. Alkali-doped catalysts resulted to be more selective to acrylic acid and less selective to acetic acid than the corresponding alkali-free Mo-V-Sb-O catalyst. However, the nature of crystalline phases and the catalytic behaviour strongly depend on the alkali metal added. In this way, the catalytic activity decreases as follows: unpromoted [ Li-* Na-* K-[ Rb-[ Cs-containing catalyst. However the selectivity to acrylic acid decreases in the order: K-[ Rb-* Na-[ unpromoted [ Li-[ Cscontaining catalyst. The role of the presence/absence of acid sites and cations on both the nature of crystalline phases and the catalytic performance will be discussed.