Density functional B3LYP calculations have been employed to investigate the reaction of platinum oxide with methane. PtO is shown to form a molecular complex with CH4 bound by ∼13 kcal/mol. At elevated temperatures, direct abstraction of a hydrogen atom is possible leading to PtOH and free methyl radical with a barrier of ∼26 kcal/mol. A minor reaction channel is insertion into a C–H bond to produce a CH3PtOH molecule, which can be also formed by recombination of PtOH and CH3. CH3PtOH would preferably dissociates through a mechanism involving 1,2-CH3 migration to produce a PtCH3OH complex and eventually Pt+CH3OH.