The development of chemicals from renewable sources as replacements for current toxic and unsustainable petrochemicals is an area of expanding study and interest. Phenolic epoxies derived from lignin, an underutilized resource generated as waste by the pulp and paper industry, and furanyl–amine epoxy curing agents derived from cellulosic biomass, are already proven independently to yield thermosetting resins possessing adequate thermal and thermomechanical properties. In this work, the union of the aforementioned technologies is examined to determine the properties and characteristics of such highly bio‐derived epoxy and amine thermosets. Resins with bio‐derived carbon content greater than 97% are synthesized and characterized via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Lignin‐derived epoxy resins are found to be compatible with a cellulose‐derived furanyl diamine curing agent to produce thermosetting resins with good thermomechanical and thermogravimetric properties, rivaling the levels of properties exhibited by similar commercial petroleum‐derived systems, indicating viability for replacing petroleum‐based polymers in high‐temperature applications.

A novel mode of SmI2 activation has been developed using ureates as reaction promoters. Several ureates formed by treatment of the corresponding ureas with n-BuLi have been shown to activate SmI2 to a substantial extent toward the reduction of 1-chlorodecane. Complexes formed from SmI2 and various ureates have been shown to be useful for the reduction of a variety of organohalides, including substrates of low reactivity such as aryl fluorides. Because of ease of synthesis and low molecular weight, the conjugate base of triethylurea (TEU(-)) was of primary focus. Visible spectroscopy and reactivity data are consistent with the hypothesis that the same complex is being formed when SmI2 is combined with either 2 or 4 equiv of TEU(-), in spite of the greater reactivity of SmI2/4 TEU(-) with some alkyl halides. We propose that the active reductant is an N,O chelate formed between SmI2 and 2 equiv of TEU(-).

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, well-known non-edible natural oil obtained as a byproduct of the Cashew Industry, represents a valid alternative to petro-based derivatives, thanks to its peculiar chemical structure. When selected as raw material in the synthesis of epoxy curing agents or polyols and diols for polyurethane applications, cardanol can impart unique benefits, like chemical resistance, hydrolytic stability, thermal resistance and balanced mechanical properties. However, there are applications and sectors where the use of cardanol is still quite limited or not fully exploited, due to lack of suitable building block derivatives. In this Paper, the synthesis of novel cardanolderived di-carboxylic acids by full hydrogenation of cardanol and oxidation of the resulting 3pentadecyl-cyclohexanol into 2-pentadecyl-hexanedioic acid and 3-pentadecyl-hexanedioic acid as a mixture of isomers will be presented, along with some preliminary examples on the use of these diacids as polymer building blocks.