Electrochemical generation of carbon-containing products from carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide

A method of electroreduction in a flow electrolyzer with a working electrode and a counter electrode comprising steps of:

• streaming a stream consisting essentially of carbon monoxide into the flow electrolyzer, and
• electrocatalyzing carbon monoxide from the stream consisting essentially of carbon monoxide in the presence of one or more nucleophilic co-reactants in contact with a catalytically active material present on the working electrode thereby forming one or more carbon-containing products electrocatalytically,
• wherein the working electrode is a cathode and the catalytically active material is a cathodic catalytically active material comprised of at least one of copper, copper oxide, or a copper-containing material,
• wherein the one or more carbon-containing products comprises acetic acid, acetate, acetaldehyde, amides, thioesters, or a combination thereof, and
• wherein the one or more nucleophilic co-reactants are selected from the group consisting of ammonia, amines, alcohols, carboxylic acids and thiols comprising one or more nucleophilic functional groups per molecule bearing at least one active hydrogen selected from hydroxyl, thiol, carboxyl, primary amino and secondary amino.