Sulfated zirconium oxide (SZO) does not activate C-H bonds by the traditional s-bond metathesis or heterolytic cleavage mechanisms that are commonly encountered on oxide surfaces. Brønsted sites on SZO, commonly invoked as reactive species in reactions with alkanes, are also not responsible for C-H bond activation. Instead, reactive pyrosulfate sites open to form adsorbed SO3 and sulfate. Transiently adsorbed SO3 is a very strong Lewis acid that polarizes C-H bonds and abstracts hydrides to form carbocations. Both experimental data and computational modeling shows that this reaction is reversible. However, Brønsted or Zr-Lewis sites proximal to the pyrosulfate could affect this reactivity significantly. More studies are needed to determine these effects.