A (1:12:12 by moles) C7H8-CH4-air fed into a fixed-bed tubular reactor, 750 degreesC, 1 atm, reacted over (a) 8-m(2)/g 2%Na/MgO and (b) 7.2-m(2)/g (2 mole% Cs+ + 2 mole% Na+)/MgO, each loaded 2 g/(g(cat)(.)h), to yield 18.4% and 19.8% styrene, 3.9% and 6.8% ethylbenzene, and to convert toluene in 63.5% and 63.2%, resp.; selectivities toward C-8 were 23.6 and 35.1%, resp. Other alkali metal dopants and pure MgO were less effective. Xylene and ethylbenzene were less methylated than toluene was, and cumene failed to be methylated. Tetracyanoethylene and nitrobenzene (NB) used as molecular probes showed pure MgO to offer most electron-donating centers, yet only 5% of these were able to donate 1 e to the NB molecule. Alkali metal dopants reduced the total number of monoelectron-donating centers and left only the strong centers that converted the NB molecule into an anion radical. The b contained most strong centers.