Chemical Synthesis of Monolignols: Traditional Methods, Recent Advances, and Future Challenges in Sustainable...

Area of Science:

• Plant Biology
• Organic Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Monolignols are essential alcohol-based precursors for lignin synthesis in plants.
• They play critical roles in plant growth and development, with significant industrial relevance in wood and paper industries.
• Monolignols possess antioxidant properties, protecting cells from oxidative stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of monolignol synthesis methods.
• To assist researchers in pharmaceutical and biological fields in choosing appropriate lignin model preparation procedures.
• To encourage the development of more sustainable synthetic protocols for monolignols.

Main Methods:

• Review of synthetic pathways for canonical and less-common monolignols and analogues.
• Utilized SWOT analysis to evaluate bench chemical synthesis methods.
• Focused on phenol-based compounds and their alcohol functionalities.

Main Results:

• Detailed the predominant (E)-geometry of natural monolignols.
• Presented methods for obtaining three canonical monolignols, two uncommon forms, and an analogue.
• Highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of current synthetic approaches.

Conclusions:

• The overview of synthetic pathways serves as a guide for researchers.
• Emphasizes the industrial and biological significance of monolignols.
• Calls for innovation in developing greener synthetic routes for monolignols.