瑞典斯德哥尔摩大学Samec, Joseph S. M.团队开发了木质素中C–C键的氧化裂解策略。相关研究成果发表在2021年9月23日出版的《自然—化学》。

木质素是一种芳香族聚合物，占木质生物总重量的30%，被认为是可再生芳烃的最大来源。木质素流的价值化是生物精炼可持续发展的关键。木质素中的单体单元通过C–O和C–C键结合。从木质素中生产有价值化合物的大多数现有方法都是基于木质素的解聚，通过木质素结构中相对不稳定的C–O键的断裂，导致产率仅为36–40wt%。剩余部分（60wt%）是高分子量木质素的复杂混合物，通常未经利用。

该文中，研究人员提出了一种通过氧化C–C键断裂从高分子量木质素部分制备额外有价值单体的方法。该氧化反应以18wt%的产率从高分子量木质素中高选择性地得到2,6-二甲氧基苯醌（DMBQ），从而将单体的产率提高32%。该研究是生物精炼与石油炼厂竞争的重要一步。

附：英文原文

Title: Oxidative cleavage of C–C bonds in lignin

Author: Subbotina, Elena, Rukkijakan, Thanya, Marquez-Medina, M. Dolores, Yu, Xiaowen, Johnsson, Mats, Samec, Joseph S. M.

Issue&Volume: 2021-09-23

Abstract: Lignin is an aromatic polymer that constitutes up to 30wt% of woody biomass and is considered the largest source of renewable aromatics. Valorization of the lignin stream is pivotal for making biorefining sustainable. Monomeric units in lignin are bound via C–O and C–C bonds. The majority of existing methods for the production of valuable compounds from lignin are based on the depolymerization of lignin via cleavage of relatively labile C–O bonds within lignin structure, which leads to yields of only 36–40wt%. The remaining fraction (60wt%) is a complex mixture of high-molecular-weight lignin, generally left unvalorized. Here we present a method to produce additional valuable monomers from the high-molecular-weight lignin fraction through oxidative C–C bond cleavage. This oxidation reaction proceeds with a high selectivity to give 2,6-dimethoxybenzoquinone (DMBQ) from high-molecular-weight lignin in 18wt% yield, thus increasing the yield of monomers by 32%. This is an important step to make biorefining competitive with petroleum-based refineries.

DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00783-2

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-021-00783-2