NOVELTY - Oxidative coupling of hydrocarbons involves: providing a hydrocarbon feedstream and a reactor; providing an oxidative catalyst within the reactor; feeding the hydrocarbon feedstream and an oxygen source to the reactor; carrying out oxidative coupling of hydrocarbons over the oxidative catalyst according to a set of reaction conditions; and recovering product hydrocarbons from the reactor; where the reactor does not provide a significant detrimental catalyzing effect.    USE - The method and reactor are useful for the oxidative coupling of hydrocarbons (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The method provides an alternative method for the production of ethylbenzene and styrene that increase product selectivity and that are consequently more economical.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Oxidative coupling of hydrocarbons involves: providing a hydrocarbon feedstream and a reactor; providing an oxidative catalyst within the reactor; feeding the hydrocarbon feedstream and an oxygen source to the reactor; carrying out oxidative coupling of hydrocarbons over the oxidative catalyst according to a set of reaction conditions; and recovering product hydrocarbons from the reactor; where the reactor does not provide a significant detrimental catalyzing effect; supplying the product hydrocarbons to a separation zone in fluid communication with the reactor; in the separation zone, separating benzene from the product hydrocarbons and sending the benzene to an alkylation zone in fluid communication with the separation zone; in the alkylation zone, producing a product with increased ethylbenzene; in the separation zone, separating ethylbenzene from the product hydrocarbons and sending the ethylbenzene to a dehydrogenation zone in fluid communication with the separation zone; and in the dehydrogenation zone, producing a styrene product. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for a reactor for the oxidative coupling of hydrocarbons, which comprises: a reactor vessel having a reaction contact surface; an inlet for feeding at least one hydrocarbon feedstream; an inlet for providing an oxygen source; and an outlet for recovering a product from the reactor; and where the reaction contact surface of the reactor vessel does not provide a significant detrimental catalyzing effect under conditions for the oxidative coupling of hydrocarbons; where the reactor is in fluid communication with a separation zone, where the product flows from the reactor into the separation zone, where the separation zone is in fluid communication with an alkylation reaction zone and a dehydrogenation zone.