TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Compositions: The catalyst may comprises:(i) 20-99.9 wt.% compounds that can be isolated by Lewis acid, and 0.1-80 wt.% metal compounds that can offer an electron pair to the Lewis acid;(ii) 20-99.9 wt.% compounds that can be isolated by Lewis acid, and 0.1-80 wt.% transition metal compounds; and(iii) 0.1-30 weights parts electrolytes added to 100 weight parts compounds that can be isolated by a Lewis acid.The catalyst (i) may contain 0.1-50 weight parts transition metal compounds per 100 parts catalyst composition, and additional 0.1-30 weight parts electrolytes per 100 parts catalyst composition. The catalyst (ii) may contain additional 0.1-30 weight parts electrolytes per 100 parts catalyst composition.Preferred Components: The compounds that can be isolated by a Lewis acid are natural minerals such as kaolinite, bentonite, attapulgite, zeolite, and montmorillonite; oxides such as zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide, cerium oxide, vanadium pentoxide, silicon dioxide, and chromium oxide; sulfates such as calcium sulfate, manganese sulfate, nickel sulfate, copper sulfate, cobalt sulfate, cadmium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, iron sulfate, and aluminum sulfate; nitrates such as calcium nitrate, zinc nitrate, and iron nitrate; phosphates such as aluminum phosphate, iron phosphate, chromium phosphate, copper phosphate, zinc phosphate, and magnesium phosphate; and/or halides such as aluminum chloride, titanium chloride, calcium chloride, calcium fluoride, and barium fluoride. The metal compounds that can provide an electron pair to the Lewis acid are sulfates, sulfites, phosphates, nitrates, nitrites, hydroxides, oxides, and/or superoxides of alkaline metal or alkaline earth metal, e.g. lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, lithium sulfite, sodium sulfite, magnesium sulfite, calcium sulfite, lithium phosphate, sodium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, calcium phosphate, lithium nitrate, sodium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, calcium nitrate, lithium nitrite, sodium nitrite, magnesium nitrite, calcium nitrite, lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, lithium oxide, sodium oxide, magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, potassium superoxide, rubidium superoxide, cesium superoxide, and/or barium superoxide; and/or peroxide of alkaline metal, e.g. sodium peroxide. The transition metal compounds are sulfates, sulfites, phosphates, nitrates, nitrites, hydroxides, and/or oxides of transition metal, e.g. manganese sulfate, cobalt sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfite, cobalt sulfite, zinc sulfite, copper sulfite, manganese phosphate, cobalt phosphate, zinc phosphate, copper phosphate, manganese nitrate, cobalt nitrate, zinc nitrate, copper nitrate, manganese nitrite, cobalt nitrite, zinc nitrite, copper nitrite, manganese hydroxide, cobalt hydroxide, zinc hydroxide, copper hydroxide, manganese oxide, cobalt oxide, copper oxide, zinc oxide, and/or copper oxide. The electrolytes may be chloride, nitrate, sulfate, carbonate, and/or phosphate of alkaline metal, e.g. sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate, lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, and/or disodium hydrogen phosphate; and/or chloride, nitrate, and/or sulfate of transition metal, e.g. copper chloride, nickel chloride, copper nitrate, nickel nitrate, copper sulfate and/or nickel sulfate.