A thorough characterization of CoZSM5 and PtCoZSM5 before and after catalytic use was carried out using a battery of techniques. The bimetallic solid was more selective for N-2 Production. The TPR profiles showed significant differences. No solid, either fresh or used, exhibited any of the characteristic cobalt oxide X-ray reflections. The XPS data provided information concerning cobalt dispersion. The Raman spectroscopy clearly indicated that Co3O4 species were present only in the monometallic zeolites while a form of highly dispersed CoxOy moieties became dominant in the PtCoZSM5. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed that Co2+ species in the monometallic solids were preferentially located at the main channels while in PtCoZSM5 these cations moved to higher coordination lattice sites. Through the combination of these tools, a much better understanding of the synergetic effect of Pt incorporated to CoZSM5 has been achieved. In view of these findings, related work previously published is revisited. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.