This is the third quarterly report on the research program entitled Investigations of Coal Gasification Reaction Mechanisms being performed under Contract DE-AC21-80MC14592. Coal char, with and without catalysts consisting of alkali metal carbonates and alkali and alkaline earth hydroxides, will be gasified with H/sub 2/O, H/sub 2/, CO/sub 2/, and mixtures of gases. Physical measurements including optical microscopy, SEM, NMR, IR, ESR, and XPS will be conducted on the char residues following varying degrees of gasification. These measurements will be used to define reaction mechanisms consistent with the experimental data and provide a basis for developing mathematical models of the reaction kinetics. This report presents the data obtained in the gasification of K/sub 2/CO/sub 3/-catalyzed and noncatalyzed coal chars with CO/sub 2/ and the results of analyses and physical measurements made on the char residues of the gasification experiments. Gasification rate tests have been conducted at temperatures ranging from 650 to 850/sup 0/C and at pressures varying from 0.1 to 3.5 MPa. The presence of the catalyst accelerates CO/sub 2/ gasification by an order of magnitude or more. The relationship between the gasification rates and temperature and pressure differ for catalyzed and noncatalyzed chars. Physical and chemical analyses of the char residues indicate that the conversion of K/sub 2/CO/sub 3/ catalyst to K/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, initiated during the charring process, continues throughout the gasification step. The presence of carbonyl groups in partially gasified char residues has been shown by /sup 13/C NMR and FTIR spectra.