Oxidation kinetics of inositol (INOS) by cerium(IV) has been studied spectrophotometrically in perchlorate medium at fixed ionic strength and temperature. The reaction showed a first order dependence with respect to [Ce(IV)] and less than unit order kinetics in both [H+ ] and [INOS]. Increasing both ionic strength and dielectric constant of the reaction medium increased the oxidation rate. Addition of Ce(III) product had no any significant effect on the oxidation rate. The oxidation product of inositol was identified by both spectroscopic and chemical tools as inosose. A plausible mechanistic scheme for oxidation reaction has been proposed and the rate law associated with the reaction mechanism was derived. The activation parameters of the second order rate constant were calculated and discussed.