TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The process further involves reacting the silane compound with a solvent selected from acetonitriles, benzenes and dichloromethanes; reacting the silane compound with water, where the yield of hydrogen is proportional to the water stoichiometry; reacting the silane compound with alcohol; producing organic silicon byproducts comprising silanediol and silanetriol; and preparing the catalyst from a rhenium oxo chloride precursor of formula Re(O)(hoz)2Cl. The process is carried out at ambient conditions.hoz=2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxazoline.Preferred Compound: The silane compound is of formula R4-xSi-Hx. The silane compound is reacted with water and produces a byproduct of formula R4-xSi(OH)x. The silane compound is reacted with an alcohol of formula xR'OH and produces a byproduct of formula R4-xSiOR'x. The silane compound is selected from polysilyl silanes, tertiary silanes, primary silanes, secondary silanes, alkylsilanes, arylsilanes and phenylsilanes.R and R'=alkyl or aryl (preferably ethyl, methyl or phenyl);andx=1-3 (preferably 3).Preferred Catalyst: The catalyst comprises an oxorhenium (V) coordination complex; ligand selected from phenoxide, oxazoline, bisoxazoline, diamidato and Schiff base ligands (preferably phenoxide or oxazoline); (Re(O)(C9NO2H8)2)+; and an anion (preferably tetra(pentafluorophenyl)borate (B(C6F5)4-)). The catalyst is ionic; and is present in an amount of 0.01-5 (preferably 0.01-0.1) mol.%. EXAMPLE - To a solution of trityl tetra(pentafluorophenyl)borate (0.016 g) in deuteroacetonitrile (1 ml), triethylsilane (2.8 mu l) was added. To this brown solution rhenium oxo complex (Re(O)Cl(hoz)2) (0.010 g) was dissolved producing a green solution. The reaction vessel was then charged with this solution and ethanol (0.126 ml) was injected through the septum resulting in an intensely green solution. To initiate the reaction, triethylsilane (0.250 ml) was added to rapid hydrogen evolution. A total volume of 34 plus minus 1 ml of evolved hydrogen gas was measured (yield 96%).