carbon monoxide and hydrogen are produced by spraying a mixture of molten sodium and / or potassium from one nozzle into a chamber maintained at a temperature of 650 ° c . to 850 ° c . along with one or more separated sprays containing a slurry of carbon , water and carbon dioxide so that the various sprays contact each other in said hot chamber so constructed so that the reactants are forced into a suitably constructed reactor containing iron and / or its oxide in a semifluid bed powdered condition . preferably , the reactor contains mixtures of the metals and / or oxides taken from the class of iron , cobalt , nickel and manganese . in a cyclic reaction , the metallic sodium is reconstituted along with continued production of carbon monoxide and hydrogen , the iron type component remaining in the reactor which as a consequence of the reagents and conditions is cyclically oxidized to oxides of iron type elements and reduced to finely divided iron and / or mixtures of iron , cobalt , nickel and manganese . the sodium vapor is condensed rapidly and the carbon monoxide and hydrogen passes to a gas holder . the incoming reagents are fed to the reactor at a temperature of 350 ° c . to 380 ° c ., which temperature is maintained by appropriate heat exchange obtained from the heat contained in the reaction products . the reconstituted alkali metal is recycled through the reactor along with the preheated and added carbon , carbon dioxide and water . siliceous ash is extracted from the reactor periodically as a finely divided non - fused powder , principally in the form of calcium metasilicate produced as a consequence of adding finely divided limestone to the reaction mixture .