The active site for the formation of acrolein in propylene oxidation reaction over copper(Ⅱ)-exchanged zeolite Y has been studied. At the early stage of the reaction, the formation of hydrocarbons was observed. The formation of hydrocarbons decreased gradually during the course of reaction, apparently due to the poisoning the Bronsted acid sites. The formation of acrolein was quite low when the formation of hydrocarbons was proceeding. The formation of acrolein was depend on the copper ion content and this can be related to the availability of the copper ions inside the supercage. It seems that it is the copper ion not the Bronsted acid site which is primarily responsible for the formation of acrolein