text: Two-step thermochemical cycles, often involving metal oxides, can be divided into two categories depending on the nature of the reaction: volatile and non-volatile. Volatile cycles utilize metal species that sublime during the reduction of the metal oxides, and non-volatile cycles can be further categorized into stoichiometric cycles and non-stoichiometric cycles. During the reduction half-cycle of the stochiometric cycle, the metal oxide is reduced and forms a new metal oxide with different oxidation states (FeO → 3FeO + 1/2 O); a non-stochiometric cycle's reduction of the metal oxide will produce vacancies, often oxygen vacancies, but the crystal structure remains stable and only a portion of the metal atoms change their oxidation state (CeO → CeO + δ/2 O).