The work on advanced fuel forms in 1996 is focused in part on the synthesis of higher alcohols from mixtures of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (syngas) from coal gasification. This art has been practiced for many years in Germany, South Africa, and the US. The conversion of coal gasification products to commercially valuable alcohols will provide an important new market for current and future gasification plants. Initial work in this project utilized a novel molybdenum catalyst previously shown to be active for hydrodesulfurization reactions of coal liquids. This support for the active metal is a mixed oxide capable of interaction with the metal sites for catalysis of carbon monoxide reductions. A pressurized fixed-bed flow-through reactor was constructed and one catalyst was tested under a variety of conditions. Unfortunately, this catalyst with low metal loading was inactive. Therefore, a catalyst with a high metal loading and additional metal sites (cobalt, potassium) is now being tested.