Sapwood samples (about 1× 1 ×4 mm) of konara (Quercus serrata) which were soaked in aqueous solutions of alkali carbonates and alkali and alkaline-earth chlorides and dried, were pyrolyzed in an inert atmosphere at 873-1173 K. The alkali salts affected the yields of the gas and the distillate. Hybrogen, carbon dioxide and ethane in the gas were increased, while carbon monoxide, methane and ethylene were decreased. The magnitude of the effects of the salts on product yields was in the order K₂CO₃> Na₂CO₃ > KCl > NaCl.