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Updated: Jul 23, 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
Copper-Catalyzed Benzylic Functionalization of Lignin-Derived Monomers
Lara Lavrencic1,2, Uttam Dhawa1, Arthur Blumenstein1
1Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Catalysis (LSCI), Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (ISIC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), BCH 3305, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Within the field of lignin biorefining, significant research effort has been dedicated to the advancement of catalytic methods for lignocellulose depolymerization. However, another key challenge in lignin valorization is the conversion of the obtained monomers into higher value-added products. To address this challenge, new catalytic methods that can fully embrace the inherent complexity of their target substrates are needed. Here, we describe copper-catalyzed reactions for benzylic functionalization of lignin-derived phenolics via intermediate formation of hexafluoroisopropoxy-masked para-quinone methides (p-QMs). By controlling the rates of copper catalyst turnover and p-QM release, we have developed copper-catalyzed allylation and alkynylation reactions of lignin-derived monomers to install various unsaturated fragments amenable to further synthetic applications.
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