Evaluating the native oxide of titanium as an electrocatalyst for oxalic acid reduction.

Herein, we show that unmodified titanium electrodes bearing the naturally-forming native Ti x O y coating display superior activity for the electroreduction of oxalic acid to glyoxylic acid and glycolic acid compared to Ti-based electrodes that have been deliberately modified for this purpose, in terms of both oxalic acid conversion and overall yields of reduced products.