TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The carbonate or bicarbonate compound is reacted with a metal hydroxide compound or thermally decomposed to produce a metal oxide. Preferred Components: The base is a metal hydroxide compound (preferably an alkaline earth metal hydroxide compound).    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The reaction occurs in the liquid phase or between a vapor phase organic substance and a solid phase base and in the presence of water. The reaction step further forms a salt of an organic acid. The reaction step occurs at a temperature below the boiling temperature of the organic substance and further forms a salt of an oxidized form of the organic substance or a carbonate or bicarbonate compound. The reaction step includes an electrochemical reaction occurring in an electrochemical cell into which the organic matter, the base and an electrolyte are placed to form an electrochemical reaction system. The electrochemical cell includes an anode and cathode in contact with the electrochemical system. The electrochemical reaction is initiated upon applying a voltage between the anode and the cathode. Preferred Components: The organic substance is a diol (preferably ethylene glycol), a triol (preferably glycerol). The salt of the oxidized form of the organic substance is the salt of an organic acid. EXAMPLE - A stainless steel reactor equipped with pressure transducer was used. Sodium hydroxide (15 g) and ethylene glycol (26 ml) were placed in the reactor. The relative amounts of sodium hydroxide and ethylene glycol were such that sodium hydroxide was the limiting reactant. Water (2 ml) and Raney nickel catalyst (3.5 g) were also added. The reactor was purged by filling the headspace of the reactor with helium and evacuating and repeating for a total of five cycles. The reactor was then filled with helium to a pressure of 1 atmosphere and sealed for the experiment. The reactor was heated to several different temperatures of 50 - 110degreesC and at each temperature, the rate of increase of the pressure was measured. At the temperature of 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 and 110degreesC, the rate of pressure increase was 4, 22, 55, 130, 340, 750 and 1200 psi/hour. The gas produced by the reaction was collected and analyzed using gas chromatography. The gas was determined to consist of essentially pure hydrogen. This showed that hydrogen gas was produced from a reaction of ethylene glycol and sodium hydroxide and the reaction required a temperature of not greater than 50degreesC to occur and that hydrogen gas was the primary gas phase product of the reaction.