An electrochemical process has been developed for chemoselective oxidation of primary alcohols in lignin to the corresponding carboxylic acids. The electrochemical oxidation reactions proceed under mildly basic conditions and employ 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidine N-oxyl (TEMPO) and 4-acetamido-TEMPO (ACT) as catalytic mediators. Lignin model compounds and related alcohols are used to conduct structure-reactivity studies that provide insights into the origin of the reaction selectivity. The method is applied to the oxidation of lignin extracted from poplar wood chips via a mild acidolysis method, and the reaction affords a novel polyelectrolyte material. Gel permeation chromatography data for the oxidized lignin shows that this material has a molecular weight and molecular weight distribution very similar to that of the extracted lignin, but notable differences are also evident. Base titration reveals a significant increase in the acid content, and the oxidized lignin has much higher water solubility relative to the extracted lignin. Treatment of the oxidized lignin under acidic conditions results in depolymerization of the material into characterized aromatic monomers in nearly 30 wt% yield.
Electrochemical Aminoxyl-Mediated Oxidation of Primary Alcohols in Lignin to Carboxylic Acids: Polymer Modification and Depolymerization.
M. Rafiee,Manar Alherech,S. D. Karlen,S. Stahl
Published 2019 in Journal of the American Chemical Society
ABSTRACT
PUBLICATION RECORD
- Publication year
2019
- Venue
Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Publication date
2019-09-04
- Fields of study
Medicine, Materials Science, Chemistry
- Identifiers
- External record
- Source metadata
Semantic Scholar, PubMed
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