TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Catalyst: The metal comprises a combination of palladium and aluminum; ruthenium and chromium; or gold and aluminum. The promoter is cesium and it further comprises calcium.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: In process (P1), the catalyst is reduced using a reducing agent prior to contact with the synthesis gas and at least a portion of the synthesis gas is converted to methanol or acetaldehyde. The conditions include a minimum pressure of 500 psig (3.4 MPa). EXAMPLE - Gold(III) chloride hydrate (180 mg) was combined with silica gel (3 g) and water (0.75 ml) and heated at 70 degrees C for 1.5 hours (h) under vacuum, allowing the water to evaporate to dryness and then cooled to ambient temperature. Nickel(II) nitrate hexahydrate (67 mg) in water (0.75 ml) was added to the mixture and heated at 70 degrees C for 1.5 h under vacuum and cooled to ambient temperature. Chromium(III) nitrate nonahydrate (92 mg) in water (0.75 mL) was added to the mixture and heated at 70 degrees C for 1.5 h under vacuum and cooled to ambient temperature. Ammonium molybdate tetrahydrate (45 mg) in water (0.75 mL) was added to the mixture and heated at 70 degrees C for 1.5 h under vacuum and cooled to ambient temperature. Cesium nitrate (148 mg) in water (0.75 mL) was added to the mixture and heated for 2 h at 70 degrees C under vacuum, then the heat in static air was increased at a rate of 10 degrees C per minute until the temperatures reached 120 degrees C and was held for 1 h, followed by heating to 210 degrees C with a 10 degrees C per minute heating rate and holding for 1 h. Finally, heating to 350 degrees C with a 10 degrees C per minute heating rate and holding for 1 h, followed by cooling the finished catalyst to ambient temperature. The catalyst (0.2 ml) was loaded into a 0.635 cm stainless steel tubular reactor. The catalyst was reduced in-situ with flowing H2 gas at 330 degrees C for 150 minutes. Premixed H2 and CO (in a molar ratio of 1) was heated at 300 degrees C to pressurize the interior of the reactor to a pressure of 1500 psig and the feed gas mixture was passed through the reactor at a Gas hourly space velocity of 4500/hour. The molar selectivity towards ethanol was 19% and towards all alcohols (ROH selectivity) was 52%.