TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: Alternatively the method involves forming a product greater than or equal to 2C hydrocarbon involving: reacting a halogenating agent with the reactant hydrocarbon; contacting the halogenated hydrocarbon with a first metal-oxygen cataloreactant to form a hydrogen halide and product hydrocarbons having greater than or equal to 2C hydrocarbons, at least 50% of which are greater than or equal to 6C hydrocarbons or at least 70% of which are greater than or equal to 5C hydrocarbons; contacting the hydrogen halide with a second metal-oxygen cataloreactant to form a halogenated cataloreactant; recovering the product hydrocarbons; and contacting the halogenated cataloreactant with oxygen or air to regenerate the cataloreactant and form a molecular halogen. The reaction between the halogenating agent and the reactant hydrocarbon occurs at a reactant hydrocarbon-to-halogenating agent ratio of 1:10 to 100:1 by volume, at a temperature of 20-900 degrees C and a pressure of 0.1-200 atm. The method further involves recycling the halogen as the halogenating agent to react with the reactant hydrocarbon; allowing any 1-3C hydrocarbons, which are formed from allowing the halogenated hydrocarbon to contact the first metal-oxygen cataloreactant, to contact the first metal-oxygen cataloreactant again to form greater than or equal to 4C hydrocarbons. EXAMPLE - Zeolyst CBV 28014 (RTM: ZSM-5-type zeolite having a 280:1 Si:Al ratio) was doped with calcium to a 4:1 Ca:Si ratio. A glass reaction tube was charged with coarsely ground, calcium-doped zeolite (1.427 g), and a stream of methyl bromide (4.5 mmol) was caused to flow into the tube. After conversion of methyl bromide, the solid was regenerated by treatment with O2 (2 sccm, 1 bar) at 520 degrees C) for 3 hours, and evolved Br2 was recovered. The methyl bromide coupling reaction was performed at 225 degrees C, pressure of 5 bar, and corresponding flow rates by using the same solid and same amount of methyl bromide per run. The alkaline-earth metal-doped zeolite facilitated 65% conversion of a brominated alkane (CH3Br) into 11C (0.4), 2C (0.2), 3C (5.8), 4C (21.8), 5C (18.8), 6C (14.5), 7C (11.7), 8C (12.8), 9C (5.8) and 10C (4.2).