Sulfated zirconia (SZ), SO4/ZrO2, was supported by SiO2, gamma-Al2O3, and K-10. Aspects of preparation, such as ZrO2 precursor, sulfur contents, sulfating agent, and calcination conditions, were studied. The pure supports and catalysts were characterized with XRD, BET, FTIR photoacoustic spectroscopy (pyridine adsorption), NH3-TPD, and tested for the benzoylation of anisole with benzoyl chloride. The support strongly affects the catalytic activity; SZ supported by K-10 achieved catalytic yields higher than that of bulk SZ. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.