TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The metal catalyst is a transition metal. The transition metal catalyst contains a main group metal. The transition metal catalyst is a copper-zinc based catalyst.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The acetic acid is prepared by the carbonylation of methanol and the methanol prepared from synthesis gas. The preparation of an alkyl compound involves preparing a compound (I) where R1 is H and R2 is H; reacting the compound (I) to form a diketene self-addition product; reacting the diketene self-addition product with a 1-6C alcohol to form an acetoacetate ester; and hydrogenating the acetoacetate ester to from 1-butanol and/or 2-butanol. The preparation of an alkyl compound or its mixture involves preparing a ketene (I) where R1 is H and R2 is H; dimerizing the ketene to diketene; dimerizing the diketene to dehydroacetic acid; hydrogenating the dehydroacetic acid to the alkyl compound or its mixture comprising 4-heptanol and 2-heptanol; and dehydrating and hydrogenating the 4-heptanol and 2-heptanol to an alkane product. The ketene is prepared by the carbonylation of methanol to acetic acid and the acetic acid is dehydrated to the ketene. The alcohols are converted to alkanes by dehydrating the alcohols to alkenes; and hydrogenating the alkenes to the alkanes. The preparing an alkyl compound or its mixture, involves preparing ketene; dimerizing the ketene to diketene; hydrogenating the diketene in presence of transition metal catalyst comprising copper zinc oxide catalyst to butyric acid; ketonizing the butyric acid to heptanone; and hydrogenating the heptanone in the presence of a catalyst selected from gamma-alumina, ceria, magnesia, hydrotalcite and zeolites, preferably gamma-alumina containing lanthanum oxide to the alkyl compound or its mixture. The preparing a hydrocarbon product involving preparing ketene; dimerizing the ketene to diketene; hydrogenating the diketene to butyric acid; ketonizing the butyric acid to 4-heptanone; hydrogenating the 4-heptanone to 4-heptanol; dehydrating the 4-heptanol to 3-heptene; and hydrogenating the 3-heptene to the hydrocarbon product. Preferred Components: The (I) is ketene. The ketene is prepared from acetic acid. The ketene self-addition product is diketene. The 1-6C alcohol is methanol or butanol. The alkyl compound or its mixture is a mixture of alcohols, alkanes and ketones. The alkyl compound is selected from 7C, 8C, 9C, 10C, 11C, 12C, 13C and 14C alkanes or alkyl compounds. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.