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Characterizing lignin: Combining lignin phenol, methoxy quantification, and dual stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic techniques

Hyejung Lee,Xiaojuan Feng,M. Mastalerz,S. Feakins

Published 2019 in Organic Geochemistry

ABSTRACT

Abstract Lignin is a major structural plant biochemical and biogeochemical compound present in peat and lignite. Its monomeric (phenolic) and polymeric structures include varying amounts of ether-bonded methyl groups (i.e., methoxy or OCH3). These methoxy groups are generally underused targets for both structural characterization and isotopic analyses. We analyzed the quantity and C and H isotopic composition of methoxy groups within a range of substrates including lignin phenols, lignin, wood, peat, lignite, and sub-bituminous and bituminous coal. We used the Zeisel method to cleave the ether bonds with hydroiodic acid to yield iodomethane which can be analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). Finding inconsistent transfer and isotope effects associated with room temperature headspace injections, we instead used isooctane as a solvent for the iodomethane analyte (the liquid method). Using the liquid method, we obtained a linear response by GC-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) for iodomethane and a linear calibration and 85 ± 6% recovery of methyl from methoxy groups from solid standards of phenolic compounds of known stoichiometry. We introduced quantification via lignin phenolic compounds to calibrate both analytical and experimental yield. Methyl yields provided structural information and confirmed that lignin oxidation products (LOPs) from copper oxide oxidation underestimate the number of methoxy-bearing phenols (yield

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