Lignin Utilization I. Kinetics of Base-Catalyzed Condensation Reactions of Lignin Model Compounds

Abstract
Rates of formation were measured for the base-catalyzed condensation reactions occurring between 4-alkylguaiacol compounds and their 6-methylol derivatives over the temperature range 85.5–100 °C. It was found that both the intercondensation reaction between the 4-alkylguaiacol compound and its 6-methylol derivative and the self-condensation reaction of the latter compound occurred at significant rates. In the 4-propylguaiacol – 4-methyl-6-methylolguaiacol system, the above two condensation reactions occurring in this system had the same activation energies, 35 kcal/mol. Similarly, in the 4-methylguaiacol – 4-propyl-6-methylolguaiacol system these two condensation reactions had equivalent activation energies, but slightly lower than in the former system, 32 kcal/mol. The kinetic results found for the model guaiacol compounds in this study demonstrate the possibility that a lignin-derived compound having more than one reactive position can be developed into a phenolic-type resin.

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