Sulfated zirconia promoted with 1.0 wt% Fe and 0.5 wt% Mn converts methane into ethane with traces of ethylene and acetylene. The initial reaction rate at 723 K and a methane partial pressure of 20 kPa was found to be about 10(-9) mor(CH4)(gs)(-1), and deactivation was rapid, with the reaction rate declining to half the maximum rate within an hour.