The trade-off between redox potential and strength of CO 2 capture has important implications in electrochemical carbon capture processes. As the unfavourable relationship comes from the inherent role of the electron density on the nucleophile, we hope to motivate novel ways to work around this trade-off in the rational design of new CO 2 capture materials. Of particular relevance to this work is the recent study by Simeon et al., suggesting that quinones with EDG substitutions are more suitable candidates for capturing CO 2 without side reactions with O 2 . It was proposed that these undergo a ECEC scheme and this was attributed to the disappearance of the second reduction wave in their CVs. Combining these CV analyses with the approach we employ using DFT, one can investigate the thermodynamics of different potential capture mechanisms and see if such a trade-off still persists. We also note that very recent work has shown that electrolyte additives such as alcohols offer a powerful means to tune electrochemical CO 2 capture thermodynamics, and potentially overcome trade-offs between redox potential and carbon capture strength. Overall, our work supports a general trade-off between redox potential and the strength of electrochemical CO 2 capture, and provides a foundation for the design of improved molecules and materials that can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.