Tungsten oxycarbide with specific surface area 24 m~2/g was prepared from whitetungstic acid by reduction and carburization with CO and H_2.XRD and EXAFS measurementsconfirmed that the WOC obtained has a simple hexagonal structure isotypic with α-WC and theoxygen is inserted into the trigonal prismatic interstices of the crystal lattice.The reactions of n-hexane,n-heptane and cyclohexane on WOC were studied and compared with WC prepared by directsynthesis at high temperature,WOC and WC are active for the hydrogenolysis,isomerization anddehydrocyclization of alkanes and dehydrogenation of cyclohexane and their catalytic propertiesare in many ways similar to Pt catalysts.Oxygen insertion inhibits the catalytic activities of tung-ten carbide for hydrocarbon conversion reactions probably due to electronic effect.