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Nucleophilic Thiols Reductively Cleave Ether Linkages in Lignin Model Polymers and Lignin.
- Source :
-
ChemSusChem [ChemSusChem] 2020 Sep 07; Vol. 13 (17), pp. 4394-4399. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Aug 07. - Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- Lignin may serve as a renewable feedstock for the production of chemicals and fuels if mild, scalable processes for its depolymerization can be devised. The use of small organic thiols represents a bioinspired strategy to cleave the β-O-4 bond, the most common linkage in lignin. In the present study, synthetic β-O-4 linked polymers were treated with organic thiols, yielding up to 90 % cleaved monomer products. Lignin extracted from poplar was also treated with organic thiols resulting in molecular weight reductions as high as 65 % (M <subscript>n</subscript> ) in oxidized lignin. Thiol-based cleavage of other lignin linkages was also explored in small-molecule model systems to uncover additional potential pathways by which thiols might depolymerize lignin. The success of thiol-mediated cleavage on model dimers, polymers, and biomass-derived lignin illustrates the potential utility of small redox-active molecules to penetrate complex polymer matrices for depolymerization and subsequent valorization of lignin into fuels and chemicals.<br /> (© 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1864-564X
- Volume :
- 13
- Issue :
- 17
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- ChemSusChem
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 32668064
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202001238