The CO conversion rate and the product selectivities for the conversion of syngas typical of one derived from coal (H-2/CO = 0.7) or natural gas (H-2/CO = 1.7) are very similar over the range of 30-90% CO conversion levels. For CO conversions up to about 50%, the iron catalyst is as or more productive than a similar mass of supported cobalt catalyst. A supported iron catalyst may exhibit about two-thirds the productivity, on a gram Fe basis, as an unsupported catalyst. Furthermore, whereas the unsupported iron catalyst disintegrates within 24h of synthesis, the supported catalyst retains its integrity during hundreds of hours of slurry phase operation. Silica based catalysts exhibited less disintegration in the CSTR than alumina based catalysts.