The scheelite-type compounds have been investigated due to their interesting properties of photoluminescence and recently, they have been applied as photocatalysts in air and water purification trough the removal of different organic and inorganic pollutants. In this work, four scheelite-type ABO(4) (A = Ca, Pb; B = W, Mo) compounds were prepared by co-precipitation method and its capacity to act as photocatalyst was evaluated in the removal of NOx gases using the oxidation of nitric oxide (NO) as model reaction. The photocatalytic activity of the samples decreased in the following order: CaMoO4 > PbWO4 > PbMoO4 > CaWO4, which was related with the electronic properties associated with each sample. When the photocatalyst with the highest photocatalytic activity (CaMoO4) was activated under UV radiation, the selectivity for the formation of NO3 ions was 35%, revealing the ability of the photocatalyst to carry out a deep oxidation of NO until innocuous products. Based in the modification of the experimental conditions, the mechanism proposed for the photooxidation of NO to NO3 ions was mainly by the action of the ion superoxide (O-2) formed from the O-2 adsorbed on CaMoO4 surface. (C) 2017 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.