A catalytic process for alkylating an alkali metal selected from lithium, sodium and potassium with an alkyl halide containing 3 to 20 carbon atoms comprising conducting the reaction in the presence of a catalytic compound represented by the formula(RR.sup.1 R.sup.2 M.sup.a)yA(R.sup.3)xwherein R, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, and aryl groups, R.sup.3 is independently selected from aryl groups containing 6 to 18 carbon atoms, four to six-membered heterocyclic carbon containing groups containing one to two hetero atoms selected from oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur; hydroxyalkyl, alkoxyalkyl and monoalkylaminoalkyl and dialkylaminoalkyl groups containing 2 to 13 carbon atoms; M.sup.a is selected from silicon, carbon, germanium, and tin, A is selected from oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen and phosphorus, and x and y independently have values from zero to three.