Preparation of specific tailor-made mixed oxides is one of the major topics of research in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. Perovskites are a class of mixed oxides, which have interesting catalytic and physicochemical properties. We have successfully developed a method using microwave irradiation to synthesize perovskites of the type LaMO3 (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Cr, Al) in just 15 min. The LaMO3 perovskites were used as catalysts for reduction of aromatic nitro compounds with propan-2-ol as hydrogen donor and KOH as promoter. Kinetics of the nitrobenzene reduction has also been studied. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.