The present investigation deals with the electrical response of palladium doped tin oxide, as a means of improving the selectivity for liquid petroleum gas (LPG) in the presence of CO,CH4. The sensor element with the composition of Pd(1.5 wt &percent;) in the base materialSnO2sintered at 800 °C, has shown a high sensitivity towards LPG with a negligible cross interference of CO andCH4at an operating temperature of 350 °C. This greatly suggests the possibility of utilizing the sensor for the detection of LPG. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies have been carried out to determine the possible chemical species involved in the gas-solid interaction and the enhancing mechanism of the Pd dopedSnO2sensor element, towards LPG sensitivity. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.