Chemicals, Inc. and to the Donors of the Petroleum Research Fund, administered by the American Chemical Society, for partial support of the conduct of the symposium. The theme of this volume is the recent progress made in devel­ oping and understanding viable catalytic syntheses of chemicals di­ rectly from synthesis gas (CO + H2) or indirectly via alcohols. An aim of the symposium and of this volume is to provide a meaningful blend of applied and basic science and of the chemistry and engineer­ ing of processes that are, or hold promise to be, economically and industrially feasible. The topics demonstrate the increasing impor­ tance of synthesis gas as a versatile feedstock and emphasize the central role that alcohols, such as methanol, can playas chemical intermediates.