1. Chemoselective Methylation of Phenolic Hydroxyl Group Prevents Quinone Methide Formation and Repolymerization During Lignin Depolymerization
- Author
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Kim, KH, Dutta, T, Walter, ED, Isern, NG, Cort, JR, Simmons, BA, and Singh, S
- Subjects
Environmental Science and Management ,fungi ,technology, industry, and agriculture ,food and beverages ,Repolymerization ,macromolecular substances ,Chemical Engineering ,Quinone methide ,Lignin ,Methylation ,complex mixtures ,Analytical Chemistry ,Other Chemical Sciences ,Depolymerization - Abstract
© 2017 American Chemical Society. Chemoselective blocking of the phenolic hydroxyl (Ar-OH) group by methylation was found to suppress secondary repolymerization and charring during lignin depolymerization. Methylation of Ar-OH prevents formation of reactive quinone methide intermediates, which are partly responsible for undesirable secondary repolymerization reactions. Instead, this structurally modified lignin produces more relatively low molecular weight products from lignin depolymerization compared to unmodified lignin. This result demonstrates that structural modification of lignin is desirable for production of low molecular weight phenolic products. This approach could be directed toward alteration of natural lignification processes to produce biomass that is more amenable to chemical depolymerization.
- Published
- 2017