The Mossbauer spectra of three Fe/SiO2 catalysts with 5 wt% iron conte
nt show the presence of several Fe species and display different magne
tic behaviours when the precursors are subjected to various thermal tr
eatments. Based on the Mossbauer parameters and CO chemisorption measu
rements, the average crystal sizes of the catalysts are estimated and
discussed in connection with the thermal pretreatment severity and mag
netic properties of the samples.