The temperature of supported MoS 2 and Pt catalysts was measured during microwave heating at constant input power by inserting a thermocouple into the center of the catalyst bed immediately after the microwave power had been turned off at the end of progressively longer heating times. Thermal runaway was observed with MoS 2 /Al 2 O 3 and Pt/Al 2 O 3 at temperatures in the range 285-300°C when the power absorbed rose with temperature at a rate greater than that at which heat is lost by cooling. This condition was not attained with MoS 2 /SiO 2 , and thermal runaway was not observed. For the MoS 2 catalysts, the fraction of the microwave power absorbed, γ, was found to vary with temperature according to the equation γ ) c A + c M exp(-E a /RT), where c A and c M are constants and the activation energy, E a , is 9.3 kJ mol -1 for MoS 2 /Al 2 O 3 and 11.1 kJ mol -1 for MoS 2 /SiO 2 .