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Updated: May 1, 2026

Extraction of Lignin with High β-O-4 Content by Mild Ethanol Extraction and Its Effect on the Depolymerization Yield
Published on: January 7, 2019
Lignol cleavage by Pd/C under mild conditions and without hydrogen: a role for benzylic C-H activation?
Xiaoyuan Zhou1, Joyee Mitra, Thomas B Rauchfuss
1Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 (USA), Fax: (+1) 217-244-3186.
Abstract:
The cleavage of C-O bonds in lignin model compounds without hydrogen was developed using the commercially available Pd/C. Hydrogen donor solvents are helpful for this reaction through transfer hydrogenation, but not necessary. A redox neutral process that utilizes the internal hydrogen source for the cleavage is also possible. An initial mechanistic study indicates that the β-benzylic-H atom in the substrate plays a critical role and that the present system undergoes a process different from previous reports.
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