MnO2 catalysts were synthesized in an aqueous solution of KMnO4 and C-2-C-5 alcohols using a simple redox method at room temperature. The crystalline structure of all samples was delta-MnO2 after being calcined at 300 degrees C. However, other physicochemical properties of the samples varied depending on the symmetry of the alcohols used. For the catalytic oxidation of CO, MnO2 catalysts prepared with 1 degrees alcohols performed better than the samples prepared in 2 degrees alcohols. Catalytic activities were correlated to the quantity of labile oxygen species of the catalysts. In CO-TPD analysis, the relative area of desorbed center dot CO2, which is the product of the reaction between adsorbed CO and lattice oxygen species, becomes larger for MnO2 prepared with 1 degrees alcohols than with 2 degrees alcohols. These results were primarily resulted from the innate hydrogen dissociation behavior of alcohol in solution. The pK(a) was found to be an important factor in determining the physicochemical properties and catalytic activity toward CO oxidation of MnO2. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.