From a practical point of view, microporous activated carbons with high surface area and a homogeneous micropore size distribution (MPSD) are very interesting materials. However, according to the results found in the literature, up to now, the preparation of activated carbons with high surface areas (BET>2000 m(2)/g) produces a widening of the microporosity in all the activation methods. In the present work. chemically activated carbons from several coal precursors have been prepared using KOH as activating agent. A deep study of the effect of the different preparation variables in the porous texture of the activated carbon has been carried out. After this analysis, the selection of the suitable coal precursor and preparation conditions has lead to obtain a highly activated carbon (BET>2000 m(2)/g) and a homogeneous MPSD. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.