TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The bubbling comprises the sub-step of: bubbling the carbon dioxide to hit the cathode; and bubbling the carbon dioxide to miss the cathode. The faradaic yield is at least 20%. The adjusting includes one or more of a cathode material and a surface morphology of the cathode. The pH level is 3-8. The electrical potential is -0.7 volts to -2 volts. The method further comprises: adding one or more of a hydrogen inhibitor, a heterocyclic compound and an alcohol to the solution; and performing the reducing at ambient temperature and ambient pressure. Preferred Components: The cathode material is at least one of aluminum, gold, silver, carbon, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, copper alloys, gallium, mercury, indium, molybdenum, niobium, nickel, nickel alloys, nickel-iron alloys, tin, tin alloys, titanium, vanadium, tungsten, zinc, Elgiloy (RTM: Cobalt-chromium-nickel alloy), Nichrome (RTM: Non-magnetic alloy of nickel, chromium and iron), austenitic steel, duplex steel, ferritic steel, martensitic steel, stainless steel, degenerately doped p-silicon, degenerately doped p-silicon:arsenic and degenerately doped p-silicon:boron. The electrolyte is at least one of sodium sulfate, potassium chloride, sodium nitrate, sodium chloride, sodium fluoride, sodium perchlorate, potassium perchlorate, potassium silicate, calcium chloride, a hydrogen cation, a lithium cation, a sodium cation, a potassium cation, a rubidium cation, a cesium cation, a calcium cation, an ammonium cation, an alkylammonium cation, a fluorine anion, a chlorine anion, a bromine anion, an iodine anion, an astatine anion, an alkyl amine, borates, carbonates, nitrites, nitrates, phosphates, polyphosphates, perchlorates, silicates, sulfates, and a tetraalkyl ammonium salt. The surface morphology of the cathode comprises a smooth or rough surface. The cathode comprises a copper-based alloy that remains stable during at least an hour of the reducing. The cathode comprises steel.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The catalyst is one or more of adenine, amines containing sulfur, amines containing oxygen, azoles, benzimidazole, bipyridines, furan, imidazoles, imidazole related species with at least one five-member ring, indoles, methylimidazole, oxazoles, phenanthroline, pterin, pteridine, pyridines, pyridine related species with at least one six-member ring, pyrrole, quinoline and thiazoles. The products comprise one or more of acetaldehyde, acetone, carbon, carbon monoxide, carbonates, ethanol, ethylene, formaldehyde, formic acid, glyoxal, glyoxylic acid, graphite, isopropanol, methane, methanol, oxalate, oxalic acid and polymers containing carbon dioxide.