TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOLOGY - Preferred Components: The recombinant microorganism comprises an aldehyde and/or ketone biosynthesis pathway including an acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, butyraldehyde, isobutyraldehyde, 2-methylbutyraldehyde, 3-methyl-butyraldehyde, 4-methylpentaldehyde, hexanaldehyde, octanaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, 2-phenyl acetaldehyde, 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetaldehyde, 2-indole-3-acetaldehyde, 5-aminopentaldehyde, succinate semialdehyde and/or succinate 4-hydroxyphenyl acetaldehyde biosynthesis pathway. The recombinant microorganism that comprises the aldehyde and/or ketone biosynthesis pathway is the same or different as the above recombinant microorganism. The aldehyde and/or ketone biosynthesis pathway comprises an isobutyraldehyde, butyraldehyde or hexanaldehyde biosynthesis pathway, where the aldehyde is isobutyraldehyde, butyraldehyde or hexanaldehyde, respectively. The polynucleotide encoding and expressing the polypeptide having the aldolase activity comprises a nucleotide sequence that: is at least 80-99% identical to at least one nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NOs: 51-82 (Sequences not defined here may be found at ftp://ftp.wipo.int/pub/published_pct_sequences/publication); or hybridizes to any of the above nucleotide sequence or their complement under conditions of medium stringency. The polypeptide having the aldolase activity comprises at least one biologically active motif comprising the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 223-244 and 255-260 (comprising fully defined sequences of 9-54 amino acid residues e.g. Asp-Ala-Thr-Thr-Asp-Pro-Ser-Leu-Ile, SEQ ID NO: 229). The polynucleotide encoding and expressing the polypeptide having the alcohol dehydrogenase activity comprises a nucleotide sequence that: is at least 80-99% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NOS: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33 (Sequences not defined here may be found at ftp://ftp.wipo.int/pub/published_pct_sequences/publication) or 83-96 (Sequences not defined here may be found at ftp://ftp.wipo.int/pub/published_pct_sequences/publication); or hybridizes to any of the above nucleotide sequences or their complement under conditions of medium stringency. The polypeptide having the alcohol dehydrogenase activity comprises at least one of a NAD+, NADH, NADP+ or NADPH binding motif including Y1-X-G-G-X-Y1 (SEQ ID NO: 245), Y1-X-X-G-G-X-Y1 (SEQ ID NO: 246), Y1-X-X-X-G-G-X-Y1 (SEQ ID NO: 247), Y1-X-G-X-X-Y1 (SEQ ID NO: 248), Y1-X-X-G-G-X-X-Y1 (SEQ ID NO: 249), Y1-X-X-X-G-X-X-Y1 (SEQ ID NO: 250), Y1-X-G-X-Y1 (SEQ ID NO: 251), Y1-X-X-G-X-Y1 (SEQ ID NO: 252), Y1-X-X-X-G-X-Y1 (SEQ ID NO: 253) or Y1-X-X-X-X-G-X-Y1 (SEQ ID NO: 254), where: Y1 is alanine, glycine or serine; G is glycine; and X is a genetically encoded amino acid. The recombinant microorganism further comprises at least one polynucleotide encoding and expressing a polypeptide having a: double bond reductase activity; and/or dehydratase activity. The polynucleotide encoding and expressing the polypeptide having the double bond reductase activity comprises a nucleotide sequence that: is at least 80-99% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NOs: 35-50 (Sequences not defined here may be found at ftp://ftp.wipo.int/pub/published_pct_sequences/publication); or hybridizes to any of the above nucleotide sequence or their complement under conditions of medium stringency. The microorganism: is capable of converting a source of aldehyde and/or ketone to the commodity chemical; further comprises at least one polynucleotide encoding and expressing the aldehyde and/or ketone biosynthesis pathway; and is capable of converting a suitable monosaccharide or suitable oligosaccharide to the commodity chemical or its intermediate. The source of the monosaccharide or oligosaccharide comprises a second recombinant microorganism that is capable of growing on a biomass-derived polysaccharide as a sole source of carbon, where the biomass-derived polysaccharide is alginate or pectin. The recombinant microorganism is Acetobacter aceti, Achromobacter, Acidiphilium, Acinetobacter, Actinomadura, Actinoplanes, Aeropyrum pernix, Agrobacterium, Alcaligenes, Ananas comosus (M) , Arthrobacter, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus melleus, Aspergillus pulverulentus, Aspergillus saitoi, Aspergillus sojae, Aspergillus usamii, Bacillus alcalophilus, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus brevis, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus clausii, Bacillus lentus, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus macerans, Bacillus stearothermophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Bifidobacterium, Brevibacillus brevis, Burkholderia cepacia, Candida cylindracea, Candida rugosa, Carica papaya, Cellulosimicrobium, Cephalosporium, Chaetomium erraticum, Chaetomium gracile, Clostridium, Clostridium butyricum, Clostridium acetobutylicum, Clostridium thermocellum, Corynebacterium glutamicum, Corynebacterium efficiens, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, Erwinia chrysanthemi, Gluconobacter, Gluconacetobacter, Haloarcula, Humicola insolens, Kitasatospora setae, Klebsiella, Klebsiella oxytoca, Kluyveromyces, Kluyveromyces fragilis, Kluyveromyces lactis, Kocuria, Lactobacillus, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus sake, Lactococcus, Lactococcus lactis, Leuconostoc, Methylocystis, Methanolobus siciliae, Methanogenium organophilum, Methanobacterium bryantii, Microbacterium imperiale, Micrococcus lysodeikticus, Microlunatus, Mucor javanicus, Mycobacterium, Myrothecium, Nitrobacter, Nitrosomonas, Nocardia, Papaya carica, Pediococcus, Pediococcus halophilus, Penicillium, Penicillium camemberti, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium emersonii, Penicillium roqueforti, Penicillium lilacinum, Penicillum multicolor, Paracoccus pantotrophus, Propionibacterium, Pseudomonas, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas denitrificans, Pyrococcus, Pyrococcus furiosus, Pyrococcus horikoshii, Rhizobium, Rhizomucor miehei, Rhizomucor pusillus Lindt, Rhizopus, Rhizopus delemar, Rhizopus japonicus, Rhizopus niveus, Rhizopus oryzae, Rhizopus oligosporus, Rhodococcus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sclerotina libertina, Sphingobacterium multivorum, Sphingobium, Sphingomonas, Streptococcus, Streptococcus thermophilus Y1, Streptomyces, Streptomyces griseus, Streptomyces lividans, Streptomyces murinus, Streptomyces rubiginosus, Streptomyces violaceoruber, Streptoverticillium mobaraense, Tetragenococcus, Thermus, Thiosphaera pantotropha, Trametes, Trichoderma, Trichoderma longibrachiatum, Trichoderma reesei, Trichoderma viride, Trichosporon penicillatum, Vibrio alginolyticus, Xanthomonas, yeast, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, Zymomonas or Zymomonas mobilis.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The commodity chemical is further enzymatically or chemically converted to its corresponding alkane. 3-hydroxy-2,2,4-trimethylpentanal, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol, 3-hydroxy-2-ethylhexanal, 2-ethyl-2-hexene-1-al, 2-ethylhexanal, 2-ethylhexanol, 3-hydroxy-2-butyl-1-octanol, 2-butyl-2-octene-1-al, 2-butyl-octanal or 2-butyl-octanol. The 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol, 2-ethylhexanol and 2-butyl-octanol are further enzymatically or chemically converted to 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, 2-ethylhexane and 2-butyl-octane, respectively. Preferred Components: The commodity chemical or its intermediate is substituted 3-hydroxy propionaldehyde of formula (R1-CH(OH)-CH(R2)-CH(O)) (I), substituted acrylaldehyde of formula (R1-CH=C(R2)-CH(O) (II), substituted propionaldehyde of formula (R1-CH2-CH(R2)-CH(O) (III) and substituted propan-1-ol of formula (R1-CH2-CH(R2)-CH2-OH) (IV).R1, R2 = H, CH3, CH3CH2, CH3CH(CH3), CH3(CH2)nCH2, CH3CH(CH3)(CH2)nCH2 or CH3CH2CH(CH3)(CH2)nCH2; andn = 0-30. EXAMPLE - Single colony of Escherichia coli DH10B stain harboring plasmid TrcTM1559 was inoculated into fresh Luria-Bertani media containing ampicillin-100 and the culture was grown in an incubation shaker at 37 degrees C for overnight. One percent of this culture was inoculated into fresh terrific broth media containing Ampicillin-100 and the culture was grown in incubation shaker at 37 degrees C. When the culture was grown to an optical density of 0.6 at 600nm, the culture was induced with isopropyl- beta -thiogalactopyranoside (0.5 mM). Then isobutyraldehyde (50mM) was added and the cultures were grown for a day. The culture (500 mu l) was extracted with ethyl acetate (500 mu l) to give 3-hydroxy-2,2,4-trimethylpentanal.