Iron species were loaded into the mesopores of MCM-41 spheres by incipient wetness impregnation procedure with Fe(ACAC)(3) as the precursor. The magnetism of the samples was studied by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible (DRUV-vis) spectra and Mossbauer spectra. The results show that the magnetic behavior of the iron-loaded MCM-41 spheres depends on the content of iron loading, valence, and coordination state of iron ions, testing temperature and the atmosphere for the pyrolysis of the iron precursor. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.