Catalysts for preparing carboxylic acid salts from alcohols which a) consist of copper or b) comprise from 99.9 to 10% by weight of copper and from 0.01 to 90% by weight of iron and from 0 to 50% by weight of one or more other metals, and may optionally be doped, the hydroxides being obtained by precipitation of copper salt solutions or by coprecipitation of copper and iron salt solutions optionally containing salts of other metals using a base, and being reduced by hydrogen.