A series of porous carbon (NC) materials were prepared by using in situ-formed aluminophosphate framework as template, and citric acid and Sucrose as carbon precursors. The structure and surface chemistry properties of these carbon materials were studied by N-2 adsorption, XRD, DRIFT, and XPS measurements. The catalytic properties of these NC materials were investigated in the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol with air as oxidant source. Compared with other carbon materials, such as active carbon, mesoporous CMK-3, and carbon molecular sieves, NC materials exhibited much higher catalytic activity with nearly 100% selectivity to benzaldehyde. The presence of abundant surface quinone groups, which originates from the special preparation process of NC material, is likely responsible for the high catalytic property of these porous carbon materials. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.