In this article, we provide a detailed assessment of the relationship between redox potentials and CO 2 capturing abilities of different anthraquinone (AQ) and benzoquinone (BQ) derivatives. This is done both experimentally with CV and computationally with DFT calculations of the Gibbs free energy change upon CO 2 capture. Our results support a general trade-off between the redox potential and the strength of CO 2 capture in a wide range of functionalised anthraquinones and benzoquinones. This trade-off has important implications in raising the efficiency of future electrochemical CO 2 capture technologies.