A large-pore Ti-containing zeolite, which is active for hydrocarbon oxidation at mild conditions, has been obtained by direct synthesis. This is isomorphous with zeolite beta, and the crucial effect of alkali metal cations on the product has been described. By means of IR spectroscopy, XRD, thermal analysis, XPS, EXAFS-XANES, and DRS-UV techniques, it has been shown that the synthesis carried out without alkali metal cations leads to zeolite beta with Ti located in the framework positions. The results allow us to propose a model which explains the varying Ti coordination for as-made and calcined samples, hydrated and dehydrated. The model is consistent with the literature data on TS-1 and TS-2 structures.