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Laser induced photocatalytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen has been studied. The activity of pure Fe₂O₃ catalyst and various electron capture agents, such as Fe³⁺, Ag⁺, Al⁺³, and Li⁺, in the water splitting process under the irradiation of a strong laser beam at 355nm has been investigated for the first time. The amounts of hydrogen and oxygen produced within a short span of time were quite substantial and the photonic efficiency achieved using pure Fe₂O₃ was much higher than the reported conventional lamp based photocatalysis techniques. The yields of hydrogen and oxygen produced were affected considerably by the addition of electron capture agents. The highest electron capture activity was observed for Fe³⁺. In addition to monitoring the activity of the Fe₂O₃ catalyst for hydrogen and oxygen production, pH changes in the colloidal suspension during the photocatalytic process were also …