In 1983, Frederick A. Lewis et al., reported (Nature 306 (1983) 673) a very surprising experimental observation. For about two decades, thanks to Dr. F.A. Lewis' efforts, a series of works has been fulfilled by him in cooperation with many co-authors from many countries. As a result, the nature of the effect and the area of its existence have been established. (C) 2002 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.