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Probably I'm going to bother all of you, but I really don't understand where the problem is. Here follows a snapshot of my error: enter image description here

It is a common error, but I'm quite sure my code is ok! The error is provided by this code:

\begin{table*}[hbt]%
\centering%
\tabcolsep2mm \small   %  
\begin{tabular}{c|c|c|c|c|c}
        \multicolumn{3}{c}{y:5}  & \multicolumn{3}{c}{x:10}       
\end{tabular}
    \caption{A caption.}%
    \label{tab:des}%
\end{table*}%

However, If I don't use \multicolumn everything is compiled fine, e.g.:

\begin{table*}[hbt]%
\centering%
\tabcolsep2mm \small   %  
\begin{tabular}{c|c|c|c|c|c}
        a & b & c & d & e & f       
\end{tabular}
    \caption{A caption.}%
    \label{tab:des}%
\end{table*}%

What am I missing? Isn't \multicolumn available by default?

EDIT Upon request, here follows the code. Please, notice that I'm using elsart.sty, the style file from Elsevier.

\documentclass[3p,twocolumn,number,referee,compress]{elsarticle}

\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{caption}
\usepackage{subcaption}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsthm}
\usepackage{color}

\raggedbottom

\usepackage{lineno}

\usepackage{natbib}
\usepackage[fleqn]{amsmath}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage[USenglish]{babel}


\journal{xxx}
\begin{document}  
\begin{frontmatter}
\title{xxx}

\begin{abstract}\end{abstract}  
\begin{keyword}\end{keyword}
\end{frontmatter}


\begin{table*}[hbt]%
\centering%
\tabcolsep2mm \small   %  
\begin{tabular}{c|c|c|c|c|c}
        \multicolumn{3}{c}{y:5}        & \multicolumn{3}{c}{x: 10}       
\end{tabular}
    \caption{.}%
    \label{tab:des}%
\end{table*}%


\bibliographystyle{elsarticle-num}
\bibliography{References}    
\end{document}
\endinput

With this code the error is: enter image description here

share|improve this question
Your example works for me. Unless you provide a complete example that reproduces the problem it will be difficult to help you, and I will be forced to tell Javert where you are hiding. – Ian Thompson Jan 15 at 11:21
Eh Eh! Very funny (Javert cit)! I will post the fullcode: is not so long – JeanValjean Jan 15 at 11:24
\multicolumn, not \multicol. – Ian Thompson Jan 15 at 11:33
Yes, you are right! I did a test. I supposed that i was wrong with multicolumn, but multicol is a package for layouts. In my original question the code was right! – JeanValjean Jan 15 at 11:35
1  
In your first error message you have a string of å (if I read correctly); probably the text has some invisibile characters: fix it and retry. – egreg Jan 15 at 13:13
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closed as too localized by Harish Kumar, lockstep, Andrew Swann, Stefan Kottwitz♦ Jan 15 at 12:51

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