The hydroxylation of benzene was carried out over a structured catalytic bed of ZSM-5-coated stainless steel grids. The catalysts demonstrated a 97% selectivity to PhOH at benzene conversion 11%. In addn. to achieving the same reactivity as traditional zeolitic fixed beds, the grid catalyst has several advantages gained by special arrangement of the catalytic bed, including: low pressure drop, improved heat and mass transfer and controlled hydrodynamics. [on SciFinder (R)]