Perovskites with general formula AB_xB’_1-xO₃ are efficient for various reactions in heterogeneous catalysis: absorption, oxidation, hydrogenation. The purpose of this work is to illustrate, using selected samples, which is the particular property of the perovskite necessary for a versatile reactivity. For example, BaSnO₃ performs for NO_x absorption from a lean burn engine and the key is the opportunity to open and to reconstruct the perovskite structure during respectively absorption and desorption process.

In methane reforming and in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, the active entity is the metal (Ni, Co) and the key is the control of the reducibility of the perovskite and the possibility to generate strong metal-support interactions. With LaNi_xFe_1-xO₃ the reducibility will be governed by the percentage of iron. With LaCo_xFe_1-xO₃ the reducibility into Co° at low temperature (< 500°C) is not directly related to x but to the orthorhombic or rhombohedral structure which depend on x.

In the oxidation of chlorinated volatile organic compounds, the key point is the thermodynamic stability towards chlorine of the overstoichiometric LaMnO_3+δ compared to the stoichiometric LaCoO₃ or LaMnO₃.