Aerobic Oxidation of β-1 Lignin Model Compounds with Copper and Oxovanadium Catalysts

Accessing monomers from lignin through carbon-carbon bond cleavage

Lignin, the heterogeneous aromatic macromolecule found in the cell walls of vascular plants, is an abundant feedstock for the production of biochemicals and biofuels. Many valorization schemes rely on lignin depolymerization, with decades of research focused on accessing monomers through C-O bond cleavage, given the abundance of β-O-4 bonds in lignin and the large number of available C-O bond cleavage strategies. Monomer yields are, however, invariably lower than desired, owing to the presence of recalcitrant C-C bonds whose selective cleavage remains a major challenge in catalysis. In this Review, we highlight lignin C-C cleavage reactions, including those of linkages arising from biosynthesis (β-1, β-5, β-β and 5-5) and industrial processing (5-CH2-5 and α-5). We examine multiple approaches to C-C cleavage, including homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis and biocatalysis, to identify promising strategies for further research and provide guidelines for definitive measurements of lignin C-C bond cleavage.

Visible-light-mediated metal-free regioselective oxidative C-C bond cleavage of lignin dimers to aromatic acids

The upgrading of lignin is a sustainable and promising pathway for fossil-based aromatic compounds but always faces low selectivity. Herein, a metal-free photocatalyst, 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate (TPP), was illustrated to remarkably facilitate the regioselective oxidative Cα-Cβ bond cleavage of β-1 and β-O-4 lignin alcohol/ketone models into aromatic acids (92-99% yields) under visible-light irradiation at room temperature without any additive/co-catalyst, which was enabled by the synergistic effect of Cβ-H⋯C(TPP) interaction and·˙O2-/1O2 species. The synergy of the catalyst-substrate interaction and active species offers a reference for the enhancive and selective transformation of polymeric biomass and complex molecules.

Electrocatalytic Lignin Valorization into Aromatic Products via Oxidative Cleavage of Cα-Cβ Bonds

Lignin is the most promising candidate for producing aromatic compounds from biomass. However, the challenge lies in the cleavage of C-C bonds between lignin monomers under mild conditions, as these bonds have high dissociation energy. Electrochemical oxidation, which allows for mild cleavage of C-C bonds, is considered an attractive solution. To achieve low-energy consumption in the valorization of lignin, the use of highly efficient electrocatalysts is essential. In this study, a meticulously designed catalyst consisting of cobalt-doped nickel (oxy)hydroxide on molybdenum disulfide heterojunction was developed. The presence of molybdenum in a high valence state promoted the adsorption of tert-butyl hydroperoxide, leading to the formation of critical radical intermediates. In addition, the incorporation of cobalt doping regulated the electronic structure of nickel, resulting in a lower energy barrier. As a result, the heterojunction catalyst demonstrated a selectivity of 85.36% for cleaving the Cα-Cβ bond in lignin model compound, achieving a substrate conversion of 93.69% under ambient conditions. In addition, the electrocatalyst depolymerized 49.82 wt% of soluble fractions from organosolv lignin (OL), resulting in a yield of up to 13 wt% of aromatic monomers. Significantly, the effectiveness of the prepared electrocatalyst was also demonstrated using industrial Kraft lignin (KL). Therefore, this research offers a practical approach for implementing electrocatalytic oxidation in lignin refining.

Efficient Photocatalytic Cleavage of Lignin Models by a Soluble Perylene Diimide/Carbon Nitride S-Scheme Heterojunction

3,4,9,10-Perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PDI) is one of the best n-type organic semiconductors and an ideal light-driven catalyst for lignin depolymerization. However, the charge localization effect and the excessively strong intermolecular aggregation trend in PDI result in rapid electron-hole (e- -h+ ) recombination, which limits photocatalytic performance. Herein, polymeric carbon nitride/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane PDI (p-CN/P-PDI) S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared by the solvent evaporation-deposition method for C-C bond selective cleavage of lignin β-O-4 model. Based on the material characterization results, the synergic role of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and S-scheme heterojunction maintains appropriate aggregation domains, achieves better solar light utilization, faster charge-transfer efficiency, and greater redox capacity. Notably, the 3 % p-CN/P-PDI heterostructure exhibits a remarkable enhancement in cleavage conversion efficiency, achieving approximately 16.42 and 2.57 times higher conversion rates compared to polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane modified PDI (POSS-PDI) and polymeric carbon nitride (p-CN), respectively.

Applications of Vanadium, Niobium, and Tantalum Complexes in Organic and Inorganic Synthesis

Organometallic catalysis is a powerful strategy in chemical synthesis, especially with the cheap and low toxic metals based on green chemistry principle. Thus, the selection of the metal is particularly important to plan relevant and applicable processes. The group VB metals have been the subject of exciting and significant advances in both organic and inorganic synthesis. In this Review, we have summarized some reports from recent decades, which are about the development of group VB metals utilized in various types of reactions, such as oxidation, reduction, alkylation, dealkylation, polymerization, aromatization, protein synthesis, and practical water splitting.

Comparison of the Degradation Performance of Seven Different Choline Chloride-Based DES Systems on Alkaline Lignin

Lignin is a natural polymer second only to cellulose in natural reserves, whose structure is an aromatic macromolecule composed of benzene propane monomers connected by chemical bonds such as carbon-carbon bonds and ether bonds. Degradation is one of the ways to achieve the high-value conversion of lignin, among which the heating degradation of lignin by deep eutectic solvent (DES) can be an excellent green degradation method. In this study, choline chloride (CC) was used as the hydrogen bond acceptor, and urea (UR), ethylene glycol (GC), glycerol (GE), acetic acid (AA), formic and acetic mixed acid (MA), oxalic acid (OX), and p-toluenesulfonic acid (TA) were used as hydrogen bond donors to degrade lignin. NMR hydrogen spectroscopy was used for the simple and rapid determination of phenolic hydroxyl groups in lignin. FT-IR spectroscopy was used to characterize the changes of functional groups of lignin during DES treatment. GPC observed the molecular weight of lignin after degradation and found a significant increase in the homogeneity (1.6-2.0) and a significant decrease in the molecular weight Mw (2478-4330) of the regenerated lignin. It was found that acidic DES was more effective in depolymerizing alkaline lignin, especially for the toluene-choline chloride. Seven DES solutions were recovered, and it was found that the recovery of DES still reached more than 80% at the first recovery.

Promising and efficient lignin degradation versatile strategy based on DFT calculations

The extraction of higher-value products from lignin degradations under mild conditions is a challenge. Previous research reported efficient two-step oxidation and reduction strategies for lignin degradation, which has great significance to lignin degradation. In this paper, the mechanism about the C-O bond cleavage of lignin with and without Cα oxidations has been studied systematically. Our calculation results show that the degradation of anionized lignin with Cα oxidations is kinetically and thermodynamically feasible. In addition, the calculations predict that the anionized lignin compounds without Cα oxidation also could be degraded under mild conditions. Moreover, we propose special lignin catalytic degradation systems containing the characteristic structure of "double hydrogen bonds." The double hydrogen bonds structure could further decrease the energy barriers of the C-O bond cleavage reaction. This provides a versatile strategy to design novel lignin degradation.

Selective C–C Bond Cleavage in Diols and Lignin Models: High-Throughput Screening of Metal Oxide-Anchored Vanadium in Mesoporous Silica

The development of selective and robust heterogeneous oxidation catalysts is an enabling technology for conversion of biomass-derived platform chemicals. Vanadium active sites were incorporated into the structure of mesoporous silica via an ultra-fast, one-pot synthesis method based on microwave-assisted heating. In addition, Al/Ti/Zr/Ce anchoring ions were introduced in order to minimize vanadium leaching and better control its dispersion. The supported V-(Al/Ti/Zr/Ce)-MCM-41 composite materials were assessed as catalysts for aerobic C–C bond cleavage of simple models for lignin (1,2-diphenyl-2-methoxyethanol) and sugar-derived polyalcohols (meso-hydrobenzoin). The TiIV ions proved to be the best anchors to prevent V leaching, while AlIII and ZrIV ions were the best to improve selective conversion of the substrates. The active sites in these catalysts are shown to be 2D VOx layers stabilized on the anchors. In a screen of twelve solvents, weakly polar solvents like toluene were found to be most suitable for this reaction, as was environmentally friendly ethyl acetate. The above properties, together with the high selectivity for C–C bond cleavage, advocate for a heterogeneous catalytic pathway, intrinsically different from that reported previously for molecular oxovanadium (V) catalysts.

Engineering a Cytochrome P450 for Demethylation of Lignin-Derived Aromatic Aldehydes

Biological funneling of lignin-derived aromatic compounds is a promising approach for valorizing its catalytic depolymerization products. Industrial processes for aromatic bioconversion will require efficient enzymes for key reactions, including demethylation of O-methoxy-aryl groups, an essential and often rate-limiting step. The recently characterized GcoAB cytochrome P450 system comprises a coupled monoxygenase (GcoA) and reductase (GcoB) that catalyzes oxidative demethylation of the O-methoxy-aryl group in guaiacol. Here, we evaluate a series of engineered GcoA variants for their ability to demethylate o-and p-vanillin, which are abundant lignin depolymerization products. Two rationally designed, single amino acid substitutions, F169S and T296S, are required to convert GcoA into an efficient catalyst toward the o- and p-isomers of vanillin, respectively. Gain-of-function in each case is explained in light of an extensive series of enzyme-ligand structures, kinetic data, and molecular dynamics simulations. Using strains of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 already optimized for p-vanillin production from ferulate, we demonstrate demethylation by the T296S variant in vivo. This work expands the known aromatic O-demethylation capacity of cytochrome P450 enzymes toward important lignin-derived aromatic monomers.

Anion-Dependent Catalytic C-C Bond Cleavage of a Lignin Model within a Cationic Metal-Organic Framework

The development of heterogeneous catalysts capable of selectively converting lignin model compounds into products of added value offers an exciting avenue to explore in the production of renewable chemical feedstocks. The use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in such chemical transformations relies largely on the presence of accessible open metal sites found within highly porous networks that simultaneously allow for fast transport and strong interactions with desired substrates. Here, we present the first systematic study on the modulation of catalytic performance of a cationic framework, [Cu₂(L)(H₂O)₂](NO₃)₂·5.5H₂O (L = 1,1'-bis(3,5-dicarboxylatophenyl)-4,4'-bipyridinium), achieved through the exchange of anionic guests. Remarkably, the catalytic activity proves to be highly anion-dependent, with a nearly 10-fold increase toward the aerobic C-C bond cleavage of a lignin model compound when different anionic species are incorporated within the MOF. Moreover, we demonstrate that the cationic nature of the MOF, imparted by the incorporation of viologen moieties within the linker, tunes the electrophilicity of the active copper(II) sites, resulting in stronger interactions with the substrate. As such, the copper-based framework exhibits enhanced catalytic performance when compared to its neutral counterpart, emphasizing the appeal of charged frameworks for use as green heterogeneous catalysts.

Copper-Catalyzed Oxidative Cleavage of the C-C Bonds of β-Alkoxy Alcohols and β-1 Compounds

Copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidation conditions were employed to promote the C-C bond cleavage of β-alkoxy alcohols and β-1 compounds (lignin model compounds). Besides these compounds, various 1,2 and 1,3-diols were successfully converted to aldehydes. We propose the Cu(I)-catalyzed mechanism explaining the C-C cleavage of these 1,2 and 1,3-dihydroxy compounds and β-alkoxy alcohols based on XPS data. Although our reaction conditions do not include large excess of bases and elaborated ligand-modified catalysts, copper salts with/without Me-TBD show good catalytic activities for C-C bond cleavage of various lignin model compounds.

Copper-Mediated Conversion of Complex Ethers to Esters: Enabling Biopolymer Depolymerisation under Mild Conditions

Selective processing of the β-O-4 unit in lignin is essential for the efficient depolymerisation of this biopolymer and therefore its successful integration into a biorefinery set-up. An approach is described in which this unit is modified to incorporate a carboxylic ester with the goal of enabling the use of mild depolymerisation conditions. Inspired by preliminary results using a Cu/TEMPO/O2 system, a protocol was developed that gave the desired β-O-4-containing ester in high yield using certain dimeric model compounds. The optimised reaction conditions were then applied to an oligomeric lignin model system. Extensive 2D NMR analysis demonstrated that analogous chemistry could be achieved with the oligomeric substrate. Mild depolymerisation of the ester-containing oligomer delivered the expected aryl acid monomer.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Reductive C-O Bond Cleavage of Lignin β-O-4 Ketone Models via In Situ Generation of the Cobalt-Boryl Species

An efficient and mild method for reductive C-O bond cleavage of lignin β-O-4 ketone models was developed to afford the corresponding ketones and phenols with PDI-CoCl₂ as the precatalyst and diboron reagent as the reductant. The synthetic utility of the methodology was demonstrated by depolymerization of a polymeric model and gram-scale transformation. Mechanistic studies suggested that this transformation involves steps of carbonyl insertion, 1,2-Brook type rearrangement, β-oxygen elimination, and rate-limiting regeneration of the catalytic active Co-B species.

Photocatalytic Cleavage of β-O-4 Ether Bonds in Lignin over Ni/TiO2

It is of great importance to explore the selective hydrogenolysis of β-O-4 linkages, which account for 45–60% of all linkages in native lignin, to produce valued-added chemicals and fuels from biomass employing UV light as catalyst. TiO₂ exhibited satisfactory catalytic performances in various photochemical reactions, due to its versatile advantages involving high catalytic activity, low cost and non-toxicity. In this work, 20 wt.% Ni/TiO₂ and oxidant PCC (Pyridinium chlorochromate) were employed to promote the cleavage of β-O-4 alcohol to obtain high value chemicals under UV irradiation at room temperature. The Ni/TiO₂ photocatalyst can be magnetically recovered and efficiently reused in the following four consecutive recycling tests in the cleavage of β-O-4 ether bond in lignin. Mechanism studies suggested that the oxidation of β-O-4 alcohol to β-O-4 ketone by oxidant PCC first occurred during the reaction, and was followed by the photocatalysis of the obtained β-O-4 ketone to corresponding acetophenone and phenol derivates. Furthermore, the system was tested on a variety of lignin model substrates containing β-O-4 linkage for the generation of fragmentation products in good to excellent results.

Catalytic Scissoring of Lignin into Aryl Monomers

Lignin is an aromatic polymer, which is the biggest and most sustainable reservoir for aromatics. The selective conversion of lignin polymers into aryl monomers is a promising route to provide aromatics, but it is also a challenging task. Compared to cellulose, lignin remains the most poorly utilized biopolymer due to its complex structure. Although harsh conditions can degrade lignin, the aromatic rings are usually destroyed. This article comprehensively analyzes the challenges facing the scissoring of lignin into aryl monomers and summarizes the recent progress, focusing on the strategies and the catalysts to address the problems. Finally, emphasis is given to the outlook and future directions of this research.

Redox-neutral photocatalytic strategy for selective C-C bond cleavage of lignin and lignin models via PCET process

It remains challenging to achieve the selective cleavage of C-C bonds in lignin or lignin model compounds to produce aromatic products in high yield and selectivity. We have developed a redox-neutral photocatalytic strategy to accomplish this goal in both β-O-4 and β-1 lignin models at room temperature (RT) via proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) process without any pretreatments of substrate, by adjusting the alkalinity of base to obtain a lignin models/base PCET pair with a bond dissociation free energy close to 102 kcal/mol. Without breaking down C_β-C_γ bond and any C-O bonds, this PCET method is 100% atom economy and produces exclusive C_α-C_β bond cleavage products, such as benzaldehydes (up to 97%) and phenyl ethers (up to 96%), in high to excellent yields and selectivities. Preliminary studies indicated that the PCET strategy is also effective for the depolymerization of native lignin at RT, thus providing significantly important foundation to the depolymerization of lignin.

Ru-Catalyzed Oxidative Cleavage of Guaiacyl Glycerol--Guaiacyl Ether-a Representative -O-4 Lignin Model Compound

The introduction of efficient and selective catalytic methods for aerobic oxidation of lignin and lignin model compounds to aromatics can extend the role of lignin applications in biorefineries. The current study focussed on the catalytic oxidative transformation of guaiacyl glycerol--guaiacyl ether (GGGE)–a -O-4 lignin model compound to produce basic aromatic compounds (guaiacol, vanillin and vanillic acid) using metal-supported catalysts. Ru/Al2O3, prepared with ruthenium(IV) oxide hydrate, showed the highest yields of the desired products (60%) in acetonitrile in a batch reactor at 160 C and 5-bar of 20% oxygen in argon. Alternative catalysts containing other transition metals (Ag, Fe, Mn, Co and Cu) supported on alumina, and ruthenium catalysts based on alternative supports (silica, spinel, HY zeolite and zirconia) gave significantly lower activities compared to Ru/Al2O3 at identical reaction conditions. Moreover, the Ru/Al2O3 catalyst was successfully reused in five consecutive reaction runs with only a minor decrease in catalytic performance.

Catalytic oxidation of biorefinery corncob lignin via zirconium(IV) chloride and sodium hydroxide in acetonitrile/water: A functionality study

In order to realize the efficient utilization of biorefinery corncob lignin, the promising catalytic oxidation strategy was carried out by using ZrCl₄ and NaOH as the co-catalyst and dioxygen as the oxidant in MeCN/H₂O. GC/MS, GC-FID, and MALDI-TOF/MS were employed to recognize the produced monomers and oligomers, and GPC was used to monitor the molecular weight changes of lignin fragments. In addition, specific structural evolution of corncob lignin during ZrCl₄/NaOH-catalyzed oxidation were revealed by quantitative ¹³C (Q¹³C) and 2D HSQC NMR techniques. Results showed that the total yields of produced oxidation monomers reached 6.8 wt%, and aromatic aldehydes were the major species, in which vanillin and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde were the two dominant products. After ZrCl₄/NaOH-catalyzed oxidation, the weight-average molecular weight of corncob lignin and its products decreased from 2000 Da to 300 Da after oxidation with 16 h. Moreover, Q¹³C NMR analysis showed the decrease percentage of CO aliphatic carbons (including methoxyl carbons), the increase percentage of CC aliphatic and carbonyl carbons, and the relative stable percentage of aromatic carbons with reaction prolonged. These results combined with the further confirmation from HSQC indicated the oxidative cleavage of CO aliphatic linkages and removal of methoxy groups within corncob lignin, as well as the formation of CC aliphatic bonds and carbonyl groups. The work presented a comprehensive insight into the catalytic oxidative depolymerization of biorefinery corncob lignin.

Catalytic Applications of Vanadium: A Mechanistic Perspective

The chemistry of vanadium has seen remarkable activity in the past 50 years. In the present review, reactions catalyzed by homogeneous and supported vanadium complexes from 2008 to 2018 are summarized and discussed. Particular attention is given to mechanistic and kinetics studies of vanadium-catalyzed reactions including oxidations of alkanes, alkenes, arenes, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and sulfur species, as well as oxidative C-C and C-O bond cleavage, carbon-carbon bond formation, deoxydehydration, haloperoxidase, cyanation, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, ring-opening metathesis polymerization, and oxo/imido heterometathesis. Additionally, insights into heterogeneous vanadium catalysis are provided when parallels can be drawn from the homogeneous literature.

Alternatives for Chemical and Biochemical Lignin Valorization: Hot Topics from a Bibliometric Analysis of the Research Published During the 2000–2016 Period

A complete bibliometric analysis of the Scopus database was performed to identify the research trends related to lignin valorization from 2000 to 2016. The results from this analysis revealed an exponentially increasing number of publications and a high relevance of interdisciplinary collaboration. The simultaneous valorization of the three main components of lignocellulosic biomass (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) has been revealed as a key aspect and optimal pretreatment is required for the subsequent lignin valorization. Research covers the determination of the lignin structure, isolation, and characterization; depolymerization by thermal and thermochemical methods; chemical, biochemical and biological conversion of depolymerized lignin; and lignin applications. Most methods for lignin depolymerization are focused on the selective cleavage of the β-O-4 linkage. Although many depolymerization methods have been developed, depolymerization with sodium hydroxide is the dominant process at industrial scale. Oxidative conversion of lignin is the most used method for the chemical lignin upgrading. Lignin uses can be classified according to its structure into lignin-derived aromatic compounds, lignin-derived carbon materials and lignin-derived polymeric materials. There are many advances in all approaches, but lignin-derived polymeric materials appear as a promising option.

Selective Oxidation of Lignin Model Compounds

Lignin, the planet's most abundant renewable source of aromatic compounds, is difficult to degrade efficiently to welldefined aromatics. We developed a microwave-assisted catalytic Swern oxidation system using an easily prepared catalyst, MoO₂ Cl₂ (DMSO)₂ , and DMSO as the solvent and oxidant. It demonstrated high efficiency in transforming lignin model compounds containing the units and functional groups found in native lignins. The aromatic ring substituents strongly influenced the selectivity of β-ether phenolic dimer cleavage to generate sinapaldehyde and coniferaldehyde, monomers not usually produced by oxidative methods. Time-course studies on two key intermediates provided insight into the reaction pathway. Owing to the broad scope of this oxidation system and the insight gleaned with regard to its mechanism, this strategy could be adapted and applied in a general sense to the production of useful aromatic chemicals from phenolics and lignin.

Perspective on Lignin Oxidation: Advances, Challenges, and Future Directions

Lignin valorization has gained increasing attention over the past decade. Being the world's largest source of renewable aromatics, its valorization could pave the way towards more profitable and more sustainable lignocellulose biorefineries. Many lignin valorization strategies focus on the disassembly of lignin into aromatic monomers, which can serve as platform molecules for the chemical industry. Within this framework, the oxidative conversion of lignin is of great interest because it enables the formation of highly functionalized, valuable compounds. This work provides a brief overview and critical discussion of lignin oxidation research. In the first part, oxidative conversion of lignin models and isolated lignin streams is reviewed. The second part highlights a number of challenges with respect to the substrate, catalyst, and operating conditions, and proposes some future directions regarding the oxidative conversion of lignin.

Chemicals from lignin: an interplay of lignocellulose fractionation, depolymerisation, and upgrading

In pursuit of more sustainable and competitive biorefineries, the effective valorisation of lignin is key. An alluring opportunity is the exploitation of lignin as a resource for chemicals. Three technological biorefinery aspects will determine the realisation of a successful lignin-to-chemicals valorisation chain, namely (i) lignocellulose fractionation, (ii) lignin depolymerisation, and (iii) upgrading towards targeted chemicals. This review provides a summary and perspective of the extensive research that has been devoted to each of these three interconnected biorefinery aspects, ranging from industrially well-established techniques to the latest cutting edge innovations. To navigate the reader through the overwhelming collection of literature on each topic, distinct strategies/topics were delineated and summarised in comprehensive overview figures. Upon closer inspection, conceptual principles arise that rationalise the success of certain methodologies, and more importantly, can guide future research to further expand the portfolio of promising technologies. When targeting chemicals, a key objective during the fractionation and depolymerisation stage is to minimise lignin condensation (i.e. formation of resistive carbon-carbon linkages). During fractionation, this can be achieved by either (i) preserving the (native) lignin structure or (ii) by tolerating depolymerisation of the lignin polymer but preventing condensation through chemical quenching or physical removal of reactive intermediates. The latter strategy is also commonly applied in the lignin depolymerisation stage, while an alternative approach is to augment the relative rate of depolymerisation vs. condensation by enhancing the reactivity of the lignin structure towards depolymerisation. Finally, because depolymerised lignins often consist of a complex mixture of various compounds, upgrading of the raw product mixture through convergent transformations embodies a promising approach to decrease the complexity. This particular upgrading approach is termed funneling, and includes both chemocatalytic and biological strategies.

State-of-the-art catalytic hydrogenolysis of lignin for the production of aromatic chemicals

Catalytic hydrogenolysis of lignin is overviewed, concerning the cleavage of typical inter-unit linkages and the production of aromatic chemicals.

Toward the oxidative deconstruction of lignin: oxidation of β-1 and β-5 linkages

Production of monomers and other products from the oxidation of β-1 and β-5 lignin models.

High turnover in electro-oxidation of alcohols and ethers with a glassy carbon-supported phenanthroimidazole mediator

Glassy carbon electrodes covalently modified with a phenanthroimidazole mediator promote electrochemical alcohol and ether oxidation: three orders of magnitude increase in TON, to ∼15 000 in each case, was observed compared with homogeneous mediated reactions.

Glassy carbon electrodes covalently modified with a phenanthroimidazole mediator promote electrochemical alcohol and ether oxidation: three orders of magnitude increase in TON, to ∼15 000 in each case, was observed compared with homogeneous mediated reactions. We propose the deactivation pathways in homogeneous solution are prevented by the immobilization: modified electrode reversibility is increased for a one-electron oxidation reaction. The modified electrodes were used to catalytically oxidize p-anisyl alcohol and 1-((benzyloxy)methyl)-4-methoxybenzene, selectively, to the corresponding benzaldehyde and benzyl ester, respectively.

Organocatalytic Chemoselective Primary Alcohol Oxidation and Subsequent Cleavage of Lignin Model Compounds and Lignin

A one-pot two-step degradation of lignin β-O-4 model compounds initiated by preferred oxidation of the primary over the secondary hydroxyl groups with a TEMPO/DAIB system has been developed [TEMPO=2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl, DAIB=(diacetoxy)iodobenzene]. The oxidised products are then cleaved by proline-catalysed retro-aldol reactions. This degradation methodology produces simple aromatics in good yields from lignin model compounds at room temperature with an extension to organosolv beech-wood lignin (L1) resulting in known cleavage products.

Redox Catalysis Facilitates Lignin Depolymerization

Lignin is a recalcitrant and underexploited natural feedstock for aromatic commodity chemicals, and its degradation generally requires the use of high temperatures and harsh reaction conditions. Herein we present an ambient temperature one-pot process for the controlled oxidation and depolymerization of this potent resource. Harnessing the potential of electrocatalytic oxidation in conjugation with our photocatalytic cleavage methodology, we have developed an operationally simple procedure for selective fragmentation of β-O-4 bonds with excellent mass recovery, which provides a unique opportunity to expand the existing lignin usage from energy source to commodity chemicals and synthetic building block source.

Catalytic Oxidation of Lignin in Solvent Systems for Production of Renewable Chemicals: A Review

Lignin as the most abundant source of aromatic chemicals in nature has attracted a great deal of attention in both academia and industry. Solvolysis is one of the promising methods to convert lignin to a number of petroleum-based aromatic chemicals. The process involving the depolymerization of the lignin macromolecule and repolymerization of fragments is complicated influenced by heating methods, reaction conditions, presence of a catalyst and solvent systems. Recently, numerous investigations attempted unveiling the inherent mechanism of this process in order to promote the production of valuable aromatics. Oxidative solvolysis of lignin can produce a number of the functionalized monomeric or oligomeric chemicals. A number of research groups should be greatly appreciated with regard to their contributions on the following two concerns: (1) the cracking mechanism of inter-unit linkages during the oxidative solvolysis of lignin; and (2) the development of novel catalysts for oxidative solvolysis of lignin and their performance. Investigations on lignin oxidative solvolysis are extensively overviewed in this work, concerning the above issues and the way-forward for lignin refinery.

Bond cleavage of lignin model compounds into aromatic monomers using supported metal catalysts in supercritical water

More efficient use of lignin carbon is necessary for carbon-efficient utilization of lignocellulosic biomass. Conversion of lignin into valuable aromatic compounds requires the cleavage of C–O ether bonds and C–C bonds between lignin monomer units. The catalytic cleavage of C–O bonds is still challenging, and cleavage of C–C bonds is even more difficult. Here, we report cleavage of the aromatic C–O bonds in lignin model compounds using supported metal catalysts in supercritical water without adding hydrogen gas and without causing hydrogenation of the aromatic rings. The cleavage of the C–C bond in bibenzyl was also achieved with Rh/C as a catalyst. Use of this technique may greatly facilitate the conversion of lignin into valuable aromatic compounds.

Transition-metal catalyzed valorization of lignin: the key to a sustainable carbon-neutral future

The development of a sustainable, carbon-neutral biorefinery has emerged as a prominent scientific and engineering goal of the 21st century. As petroleum has become less accessible, biomass-based carbon sources have been investigated for utility in fuel production and commodity chemical manufacturing. One underutilized biomaterial is lignin; however, its highly crosslinked and randomly polymerized composition have rendered this biopolymer recalcitrant to existing chemical processing. More recently, insight into lignin's molecular structure has reinvigorated chemists to develop catalytic methods for lignin depolymerization. This review examines the development of transition-metal catalyzed reactions and the insights shared between the homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic systems towards the ultimate goal of valorizing lignin to produce value-added products.

Thermodynamic Strategies for C-O Bond Formation and Cleavage via Tandem Catalysis

To reduce global reliance on fossil fuels, new renewable sources of energy that can be used with the current infrastructure are required. Biomass represents a major source of renewable carbon based fuel; however, the high oxygen content (∼40%) limits its use as a conventional fuel. To utilize biomass as an energy source, not only with current infrastructure, but for maximum energy return, the oxygen content must be reduced. One method to achieve this is to develop selective catalytic methods to cleave C-O bonds commonly found in biomass (aliphatic and aromatic ethers and esters) for the eventual removal of oxygen in the form of volatile H2O or carboxylic acids. Once selective methods of C-O cleavage are understood and perfected, application to processing real biomass feedstocks such as lignin can be undertaken. This Laboratory previously reported that recyclable "green" lanthanide triflates are excellent catalysts for C-O bond-forming hydroalkoxylation reactions. Based on the virtues of microscopic reversibility, the same lanthanide triflate catalyst should catalyze the reverse C-O cleavage process, retrohydroalkoxylation, to yield an alcohol and an alkene. However, ether C-O bond-forming (retrohydroalkoxylation) to form an alcohol and alkene is endothermic. Guided by quantum chemical analysis, our strategy is to couple endothermic, in tandem, ether C-O bond cleavage with exothermic alkene hydrogenation, thereby leveraging the combined catalytic cycles thermodynamically to form an overall energetically favorable C-O cleavage reaction. This Account reviews recent developments on thermodynamically leveraged tandem catalysis for ether and more recently, ester C-O bond cleavage undertaken at Northwestern University. First, the fundamentals of lanthanide-catalyzed hydroelementation are reviewed, with particular focus on ether C-O bond formation (hydroalkoxylation). Next, the reverse C-O cleavage/retrohydroalkoxylation processes enabled by tandem catalysis are discussed for both ether and ester C-O bond cleavage, including mechanistic and computational analysis. This is followed by recent results using this tandem catalytic strategy toward biomass relevant substrates, including work deconstructing acetylated lignin models, and the production of biodiesel from triglycerides, while bypassing the production of undesired glycerol for more valuable C3 products such as diesters (precursors to diols) in up to 47% selectivity. This Account concludes with future prospects for using this tandem catalytic system under real biomass processing conditions.