TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Catalyst: The reproportionation catalyst comprises a metal, metal-oxygen material, or metal halide. The first catalyst comprises a zeolite. The zeolite is a metal-doped or ion-exchanged zeolite. The zeolite is doped with manganese. The second catalyst comprises at least one material selected from CaO5 CeO2, CO3O4, CuO, NiO, MgO, carbides, nitrides, carbons, and clays (preferably CuO or CeO2). Or the second catalyst comprises at least one material selected from halides, oxides, and oxyhalides of Ag, Au, Ba, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, Pb, Pd, Pt, Sr, Ta, V, W, Mg, V, or Zn.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The process further involves after step (a), separating unreacted methane from the alkyl halides and directing it back into the halogenation reactor; and separating monohalogenated alkyl halides from polyhalogenated alkyl halides after steps (a) and/or (b). The hydrocarbon feedstock comprises at least one 1-4C hydrocarbons, or natural gas. The halogen comprises bromine or chlorine. The alkane feed contains 2-5C hydrocarbons in an amount of at least 1 vol.%. The amount of monohalogenated alkyl halide(s) present is increased in the presence of a reproportionation catalyst. HBr is separated from aqueous hydrobromic acid using pressure swing distillation or extractive distillation. The extractive distillation is utilized with an aqueous solution of CaBr2, MgBr2, KBr, NaBr, and/or LiBr used as an extracting agent. Or the extractive distillation is utilized, with sulfuric acid as an extracting agent. The alkane feed used for reproportionation comprises a hydrocarbon feed gas containing significant quantities of 2-5C hydrocarbons. The halogenation of the hydrocarbon feedstock and the formation of reproportionated alkyl halides are carried out in separate reactors. EXAMPLE - Reproportionation of dibromomethane with propane, useful in conversion of methane into higher hydrocarbons, was performed. Methane (1 atm) was combined with nitrogen (1 atm) at room temperature and passed through a bubbler filled with bromine at room temperature. The methane/nitrogen/bromine mixture was plumbed into a preheated glass tube at 500degreesC, and bromination of methane took place with a residence time (tres) of 60 seconds, and produced primarily bromomethane, dibromomethane, and HBr. The stream of nitrogen, HBr, and partially brominated hydrocarbons was combined with propane (1 atm) and passed into a second glass reactor tube at 525degreesC with a residence time (tres) of 60 seconds. In the second reactor tube, polybrominated hydrocarbons (i.e. CH2Br2, and CHBr3) reacted with the propane to produce bromopropanes. As products left the second reactor, they were collected by a series of traps containing NaOH solution (4 M) (which neutralized the HBr) and hexadecane (containing octadecane as an internal standard) to dissolve as much of the hydrocarbon products as possible. Volatile components like methane and propane were collected in a gas bag after the HBr/hydrocarbon traps. All products were quantified by gas chromatography. For comparison, the reactions were also run with two reactors, but without reproportionation with propane (Control A), and with only the first reactor and without propane (Control B). It was observed that: methane conversion was (%): 40, 47 and 45 for (test), control (A), and control (B) brominations respectively; CH3Br/(CH3+CH2Br2) was (%): 93, 84 and 74 for (test), control (A), and control (B) brominations respectively; and propane conversion was: 85% for (test) bromination.