Patent ID: 8592633

Claim:
A method for electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide, comprising: (A) introducing a liquid to a first compartment of an electrochemical cell, the first compartment including an anode; (B) introducing carbon dioxide to a second compartment of the electrochemical cell, the second compartment including a solution of an electrolyte, a cathode, and a homogenous heterocyclic amine catalyst, wherein each bond of the homogenous heterocyclic amine catalyst is selected from the group consisting of: a carbon-carbon bond, a carbon-hydrogen bond, a carbon-nitrogen bond, a carbon-oxygen bond, a carbon-sulfur bond, a nitrogen-hydrogen bond, a nitrogen-nitrogen bond, a nitrogen-oxygen bond, and an oxygen-hydrogen bond; (C) applying an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode sufficient for the cathode to reduce the carbon dioxide to at least a carboxylate; (D) acidifying the carboxylate to convert the carboxylate into a carboxylic acid; (E) extracting the carboxylic acid; and (F) contacting the carboxylic acid with hydrogen to form a reaction product.