Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 7, 2025

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
Organocatalytic Approach to Photochemical Lignin Fragmentation
Cheng Yang1, Markus D Kärkäs1,2, Gabriel Magallanes1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.
Abstract:
Herein, an organocatalytic method for photochemical C-O bond cleavage of lignin systems is reported. The use of photochemistry enabled fragmentation of the β-O-4 linkage, the primary linkage in lignin, provides the fragmentation products in good to high yields. The approach was merged with reported oxidation conditions in a one-pot, two-step platform without any intermediary purification, suggesting its high fidelity. The future utility of the organocatalytic method was illustrated by applying the visible light-mediated protocol to continuous flow processing.
Related Concept Videos
Cycloaddition Reactions: MO Requirements for Photochemical Activation
Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation
Mass Spectrometry: Molecular Fragmentation Overview
One type of fragmentation pattern is the cleavage of a single bond in the molecular ion. The cleavage leads to a radical and a cation. The cleavage can occur at...
Oxidative Cleavage of Alkenes: Ozonolysis
Ozone is a symmetrical bent molecule stabilized by a resonance structure.
Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones: Baeyer–Villiger Oxidation
The carbonyl center is activated by...
Preparation of Diols and Pinacol Rearrangement
The reaction begins with transferring a proton from the acid catalyst to one of the hydroxyl groups, producing an oxonium ion.

