Dispersion of metal nitrate or carbonate of group 1 and 2 elements onto alumina and successive activation yielded new type of solid base. Temperature programmed decomposition of thus obtained compound revealed that there are two types of surface species, namely bulk metal nitrate or carbonate species and ion-separated species in which metal cations and anions (nitrate ions and carbonate ions) are separated each other. The latter species is the origin of basicity generation. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.