Catalyst‐Free Hydrogenolysis of Lignin β‐O‐4 Ketone Models with Water as an H‐transfer Reagent

Abstract

It was found that lignin β‐O‐4 ketone models could undergo smoothly the hydrogenolysis via light‐induced water‐donating transfer hydrogenation, which provides an example of using inexpensive and eco‐friendly water as the H‐transfer reagent to enable hydrogenolysis of lignin β‐O‐4 ketone models under catalyst‐free condition. Preliminary mechanistic investigations suggest that the mechanistic pathway involves the formation of acetophenone radicals.

Enhanced ORR performance to electrochemical lignin valorization in a mixture of ionic liquid/organic solvent binary electrolytes

“…Numerous studies have been carried out to transform lignin into low-weight molecules for fuels or chemicals using various methods, such as photolysis, pyrolysis, enzymatic methods and chemical catalysis. 5–8 However, none of these efforts have yet produced lignin valorization methods that are commercially feasible. To date, metallic catalysts have commonly been used at relatively high temperatures and pressures in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic studies for lignin conversion.…”