TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Parameters: The molar ratio of alkali metal to transition metal in the slurry is 1:5 to 5:1. The particle average diameter is less than 50 microns.Preferred Composition: The slurry further comprises a non-transition metal is in +2 oxidation state, and anionic dispersant. The solid phase further comprises a carbonaceous material. Preferred Components: The active material is of formula AaMb(XY4)cZd.A = alkali metal or mixture of alkali metals;M = transition metal capable of being oxidized to a higher oxidation state than in the active material, preferably Fe and/or Co;Z = halo and/or OH;XY4 = X'O4-xY'x, X'O4-yY'2y, and/or XS4, preferably phosphate, silicate, sulfate and/or arsenate;X' = P, As, Sb, Si, Ge, V and/or S;X = P, As, Sb, Si, V, and/or Ge;Y' = halo, N or S;x = 0-3;y = 0-4;a = 0.1-6;b = 0.8-3;c = 1-3;d = 0-6.The composition of M, XY4, A, and Z, and the values a, b, c, and d are selected to maintain electroneutrality of the active material.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The solvent comprises water. The carbonaceous material comprises elemental carbon.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Components: The transition metal is vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, rhenium, osmium, and/or iridium. The alkali metal ions comprise lithium ions. The non-transition metal is beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium and/or zinc.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The anionic dispersant is salts of naphthalene sulfonic acid, and/or salts of naphthalene formaldehyde polymer sulfonic acid. EXAMPLE - 3587 g LiH2PO4 was stirred into 8250 g water in a mixer. 270 g Darvant 1 dispersant was added to the mixer operated at 3500 rpm. 2017 g Iron oxide was added and mixed for 15 minutes at 4500 rpm. 100.6 g Magnesium hydroxide was added and mixed for another 15 minutes at 4500 rpm. Next, 445.5 g carbon was added and mixed 15 minutes at 4500 rpm. Finally, 5-8 g of butanol was added and mixed for 5 minutes at 4000 rpm to form slurry. The slurry was spray dried to an apparatus for 1 hour and 10 minutes, 4721 Grams of powder were recovered. A sample of the recovered powder was heated at a ramp rate of 2 degrees/min until the final temperature of 650 degrees C was reached. The sample was cooled and a power x-ray diffraction pattern of the reaction product showed that the active material had the expected olivine structure.