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Toward a better understanding of the lignin isolation process from wood.

The recently developed protocol for isolating enzymatic mild acidolysis lignins (EMAL) coupled with the novel combination of derivatization followed by reductive cleavage (DFRC) and quantitative (31)P NMR spectroscopy were used to better understand the lignin isolation process from wood. The EMAL protocol is shown to offer access at lignin samples that are more representative of the overall lignin present in milled wood. The combination of DFRC/(31)P NMR provided a detailed picture on the effects of the isolation conditions on the lignin structure. More specifically, we have used vibratory and ball milling as the two methods of wood pulverization and have compared their effects on the lignin structures and molecular weights. Vibratory-milling conditions cause substantial lignin depolymerization. Lignin depolymerization occurs via the cleavage of uncondensed beta-aryl ether linkages, while condensed beta-aryl ethers and dibenzodioxocins were found to be resistant to such mechanical action. Condensation and side chain oxidations were induced mechanochemically under vibratory-milling conditions as evidenced by the increased amounts of condensed phenolic hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups. Alternatively, the mild mechanical treatment offered by ball milling was found not to affect the isolated lignin macromolecular structure. However, the overall lignin yields were found to be compromised when the mechanical action was less intense, necessitating longer milling times under ball-milling conditions. As compared to other lignin preparations isolated from the same batch of milled wood, the yield of EMAL was about four times greater than the corresponding milled wood lignin (MWL) and about two times greater as compared to cellulolytic enzyme lignin (CEL). Molecular weight distribution analyses also pointed out that the EMAL protocol allows the isolation of lignin fractions that are not accessed by any other lignin isolation procedures.

Carbohydrates↗

Oxidative/antioxidative effects of different lignin preparations on DNA in hamster V79 cells.

Endogenous oxidative damage to DNA is thought to be an important etiologic factor in the development of chronic diseases such as cancer. Many products of the vegetable kingdom have been suggested to limit oxidative damage to DNA in humans. To this group belong lignins, polyphenols present in all plants (including edible plants). The aim of this study was to examine oxidative/antioxidative effects of different lignin preparations on mammalian DNA. In addition to a water-soluble sulfur-free lignin 1 which was obtained by fractionation of hardwood hydrolysate, we investigated lignin 2 (obtained by oxidation of lignin 1), lignin 3 (prepared by the extraction of lignin 2 with a mixture ethanol-water 3:1), lignin 4 (Na-salt of lignin 3) and lignin 5 (prepared by extraction of lignin 2 with diethylether). Our results showed that only the original lignin 1 did not increase substantially the level of DNA damage. Lignins 2, 3, 4 and 5 increased both the level of frank DNA strand breaks + alkali-labile sites and the level of FPG-sensitive sites representing oxidative damage to DNA. Lignin 1 was further tested for its antioxidative activity against DNA base modifications generated by visible light+photosensitizer. Obtained results confirmed the oxygen species-scavenging activity of lignin 1.

Animals↗

[Advances in research on lignin biosynthesis and its genetic engineering].

Lignin, one of the main components in vascular plants, is important for the adaptation of terrestrial plants to environment during evolution. However, its presence in plants has negative effects on wood processing during pulping and stock breeding. Therefore much attention has been focused on the regulation of lignin biosynthesis. The pathways leading to the synthesis of lignin polymers have been studied for decades. Much understanding of lignin biosynthesis has been advanced. This paper reviewed the recent progress made in the various steps associated with monolignol biosynthesis. It includes the catalysis by three enzymes, i.e. p-coumarate-3-hydroxylase (C3H), ferulate-5-hydroxylase (F5H) and caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT); the multiform biosynthetic pathway of syringyl (S) lignin in angiosperms; the biosynthesis route of guaiacyl (G) and syringyl (S) lignin specifically regulated by cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) and sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase (SAD) and the formation of the lignin macromolecule. Based on the elucidation of lignin biosynthesis pathway, it has also been given the achievements in lignin gene engineering. Many studies were concentrated on the modification of lignin content and composition. In some cases, the potential value of transgenic plants with modified lignin beneficial for pulping has been demonstrated. To better understand the mechanism of lignin biosynthesis and improve the properties of plants, new biotechnological strategies can be developed, which include combinatorial modification of multiple lignin traits in plants through multigene cotransformation, transcriptional control of lignin biosynthesis and the application of RNA interference. The identification of novel genes by molecular and genetic approaches will be useful in opening up new avenues of lignin modification in the future.

Genetic Engineering↗

In vitro degradation of natural insoluble lignin in aqueous media by the extracellular peroxidases of Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

The lignin peroxidases (LIP) and manganese peroxidases (MNP) of Phanerochaete chrysosporium catalyze a wide range of lignin depolymerization reactions with lignin models and synthetic lignins in solution. However, their ability to degrade insoluble natural lignin in aqueous media has not been demonstrated. Insoluble isolated poplar lignin similar to natural lignin was treated in vitro in aqueous media for 12 h with LIP, MNP, and both. Treatment with MNP alone slightly increased the solid mass and produced measurable amounts of lignin-derived 2,6-dimethoxyhydroquinone and 2-methoxyhydroquinone but did not appreciably decrease the total lignin content. Treatment with LIP alone did not decrease the mass but produced measurable amounts of lignin-derived p-hydroxybenzoic acid and slightly decreased the lignin content. Finally, treatment with LIP and MNP together decreased the solid mass by 11%, decreased the lignin content by 5%, and released low-concentration compounds with mass spectra containing the typical lignin-derived electron-impact fragments of mass 107, 137, 151, 167, and 181. These results suggest that MNP increases the effectiveness of LIP-mediated lignin degradation.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

Dual methylation pathways in lignin biosynthesis

Caffeoyl-coenzyme A (CoA) O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT) has been proposed to be involved in an alternative methylation pathway of lignin biosynthesis. However, no direct evidence has been available to confirm that CCoAOMT is essential for lignin biosynthesis. To understand further the methylation steps in lignin biosynthesis, we used an antisense approach to alter O-methyltransferase (OMT) gene expression and investigated the consequences of this alteration. We generated transgenic tobacco plants with a substantial reduction in CCoAOMT as well as plants with a simultaneous reduction in both CCoAOMT and caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (CAOMT). Lignin analysis showed that the reduction in CCoAOMT alone resulted in a dramatic decrease in lignin content. The reduction in CCoAOMT also led to a dramatic alteration in lignin composition. Both guaiacyl lignin and syringyl lignin were reduced in the transgenic plants. However, guaiacyl lignin was preferentially reduced, which resulted in an increase in the S/G (syringl/guaiacyl) ratio. We have also analyzed lignin content and composition in transgenic plants having a simultaneous reduction in both CCoAOMT and CAOMT. The reduction in both OMTs resulted in a further decrease in total lignin content. This is in sharp contrast to the effect that resulted from the reduction in CAOMT alone, which only decreased the syringl lignin unit without a reduction in overall lignin content. These results unequivocally demonstrate that methylation reactions in lignin biosynthesis are catalyzed by both CCoAOMT and CAOMT.

Journal Article↗

Elucidation of the structures of residual and dissolved pine kraft lignins using an HMQC NMR technique.

Comparative studies on the structures of residual and dissolved lignins isolated from pine kraft pulp and pulping liquor have been undertaken using the (1)H-(13)C HMQC NMR technique, GPC, and sugar analysis to elucidate the reaction mechanisms in kraft pulping and the lignin reactivity. A modified procedure for the isolation of enzymatic residual lignins has resulted in an appreciable decrease in protein contaminants in the residual lignin preparations (N content < 0.2%). The very high dispersion of HMQC spectra allows identification of different lignin moieties, which signals appear overlapped in 1D (13)C NMR spectra. Elucidation of the role of condensation reactions indicates that an increase in the degree of lignin condensation during pulping results from accumulation of original condensed lignin moieties rather than from the formation of new alkyl-aryl structures. Among aryl-vinyl type moieties, only stilbene structures are accumulated in lignin in appreciable amounts. Benzyl ether lignin-carbohydrate bonds involving primary hydroxyl groups of carbohydrates have been detected in residual and dissolved lignin preparations. Structures of the alpha-hydroxyacid type have been postulated to be among the important lignin degradation products in kraft pulping. The effect of the isolation method on the lignin structure and differences between the residual and dissolved lignins are discussed.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗

NMR characterization of lignins isolated from fruit and vegetable insoluble dietary fiber.

Compositional information for lignins in food is rare and concentrated on cereal grains and brans. As lignins are suspected to have important health roles in the dietary fiber complex, the confusing current information derived from nonspecific lignin determination methods needs to be augmented by diagnostic structural studies. For this study, lignin fractions were isolated from kiwi, pear, rhubarb, and, for comparison, wheat bran insoluble dietary fiber. Clean pear and kiwi lignin isolates allowed for substantive structural profiling, but it is suggested that the significance of lignin in wheat has been overestimated by reliance on nonspecific analytical methods. Volume integration of NMR contours in two-dimensional (13)C-(1)H correlation spectra shows that pear and wheat lignins have comparable guaiacyl and syringyl contributions and that kiwi lignins are particularly guaiacyl-rich (approximately 94% guaiacyl) and suggest that rhubarb lignins, which could not be isolated from contaminating materials, are as syringyl-rich (approximately 96% syringyl) as lignins from any known natural or transgenic fiber source. Typical lignin structures, including those newly NMR-validated (glycerols, spirodienones, and dibenzodioxocins), and resinols implicated as possible mammalian lignan precursors in the gut are demonstrated via their NMR correlation spectra in the fruit and vegetable samples. A novel putative benzodioxane structure appears to be associated with the kiwi lignin. It is concluded that the fruits and vegetables examined contain authentic lignins and that the detailed structural analysis exposes limitations of currently accepted analytical methods.

Dietary Fiber↗

Production of chelating agents through the enzymatic oxidation of acetosolv sugarcane bagasse lignin.

Oxidation of lignin obtained from Acetosolv pulping of sugarcane bagasse was performed by polyphenoloxidase (PPO) using glycerol or polyethyleneglycol to increase the number of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups in lignin, and to improve its chelating capacity. Increase in the absorption in UV-spectrum related to alpha-carbonylphenolic and alpha,beta-unsaturated structures was observed in all the experiments. The chelating properties of the original and oxidized lignins were compared by monitoring the amount of Cu2+ bound to lignin by gel permeation chromatography. The chelating capacity of original Acetosolv lignin was 354 mg Cu2+/g lignin. On the other hand, lignin oxidized with PPO/O2 showed an increase of 73% in chelating capacity in relation to the original lignin. The chelating capacity of lignin oxidized with PPO/O2/glycerol was 110% higher than that of the original lignin. Glycerol stabilizes PPO, increasing its half-life. Average molecular weight (MW), measured by size-exclusion chromatography, was smaller for the oxidized lignins than for the original Acetosolv lignin. This result suggests that quinones can eventually be formed through the action of PPO, but are not polymerized. The chelating capacity of oxidized lignins increases with the incorporation of vicinal hydroxyl groups.

Catechol Oxidase↗

Isolation and Fractional Characterization of Ball-Milled and Enzyme Lignins from Oil Palm Trunk.

Ball-milled and enzyme lignins were isolated from the trunks of oil palms and subsequently studied. The lignins were fractionated into pure milled lignin (PML), pure enzyme lignin (PEL), lignin rich enzyme lignin (LREL), hemicellulose rich milled lignin (HRML), and solubilized lignin obtained during enzyme treatment (SLET) fractions by a two-step precipitation method. The chemical and structural composition of the five lignin preparations was determined by using UV, GPC, FT-IR, (13)C NMR spectroscopy and nitrobenzene oxidation. Pure milled lignin and pure enzyme lignin fractions were found to contain rather low amounts of neutral sugars, 2.2-3.1%. The lignin fractions contained a high proportion of noncondensed syringyl units with small amounts of noncondensed guaiacyl and p-hydroxyphenyl units. Trace amounts of p-coumaric and ferulic acids were also found to be associated with lignin in the oil palm trunk cell walls.

Journal Article↗

Effects of pH on Lignin and Cellulose Degradation by Streptomyces viridosporus.

Lignocellulose degradation by Streptomyces viridosporus results in the oxidative depolymerization of lignin and the production of a water-soluble lignin polymer, acid-precipitable polymeric lignin (APPL). The effects of the culture pH on lignin and cellulose metabolism and APPL production by S. viridosporus are reported. Dry, ground, hot-water-extracted corn (Zea mays) lignocellulose was autoclaved in 1-liter reagent bottles (5 g per bottle) and inoculated with 50-ml volumes of S. viridosporus cells suspended in buffers of specific pH (pH 6.0 to 9.2 at 0.4 pH unit intervals). Four replicates of inoculated cultures and of uninoculated controls at each pH were incubated as solid-state fermentations at 37 degrees C. After 6 weeks of incubation the percent loss of lignocellulose, lignin, and carbohydrate and the amount of APPL produced were determined for each replicate. Optimal lignocellulose degradation, as shown by substrate weight loss, was observed in the pH range of 8.4 to 8.8. Only minor differences were seen in the Klason lignin, carbohydrate, protein, and ash contents of the APPLS produced by cultures at each pH. The effects of pH on the degradation of a spruce (Picea pungens) [C-lignin]lignocellulose and a Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) [C-glucan]-lignocellulose were also determined at pH values between 6.5 and 9.5 (0.5 pH unit intervals). The incubations were carried out for 3 weeks at 37 degrees C with bubbler-tube cultures. The percentage of initial C recovered as CO(2), C-labeled water-soluble products, and [C]APPL was then determined. The mineralization of lignin and cellulose to CO(2) was optimal at pHs 6.5 and 7.0, respectively. However, the optimum for lignin and cellulose solubilization was pH 8.5, which correlated with the pH 8.5 optimum for APPL production. Overall, the data show that, whereas lignin mineralization is optimal at neutral to slightly acidic pHs, lignocellulose degradation with lignin solubilization and APPL production is promoted by alkaline pHs. These findings indicate that lignin-solubilizing actinomycetes may play an important role in the metabolism of lignin in neutral to alkaline soils in which ligninolytic fungi are not highly competitive.

Journal Article↗

Modification of lignin for the production of new compounded materials.

The cell walls of woody plants are compounded materials made by in situ polymerization of a polyphenolic matrix (lignin) into a web of fibers (cellulose), a process that is catalysed by polyphenoloxidases (laccases) or peroxidases. The first attempt to transform the basic strategy of this natural process for use in human craftsmanship was the ancient lacquer method. The sap of the lacquer tree (Rhus verniciflua) contains large amounts of a phenol (urushiol), a polysaccharide and the enzyme laccase. This oil-in-water emulsion solidifies in the presence of oxygen. The Chinese began using this phenomenon for the production of highly creative artwork more than 6,000 years ago. It was the first example of an isolated enzyme being used as a catalyst to create an artificial plastic compound. In order to apply this process to the production of products on an industrial scale, an inexpensive phenol must be used, which is transferred by an enzyme to active radicals that react with different components to form a compounded material. At present, the following approaches have been studied: (1) In situ polymerization of lignin for the production of particle boards. Adhesive cure is based on the oxidative polymerization of lignin using phenoloxidases (laccase) as radical donors. This lignin-based bio-adhesive can be applied under conventional pressing conditions. The resulting particle boards meet German performance standards. By this process, 80% of the petrochemical binders in the wood-composite industry can be replaced by materials from renewable resources. (2) Enzymatic copolymerization of lignin and alkenes. In the presence of organic hydroperoxides, laccase catalyses the reaction between lignin and olefins. Detailed studies on the reaction between lignin and acrylate monomers showed that chemo-enzymatic copolymerization offers the possibility to produce defined lignin-acrylate copolymers. The system allows control of the molecular weights of the products in a way that has not been possible with chemical catalysts. This is a novel attempt to enzymatically induce grafting of polymeric side chains onto the lignin backbone, and it enables the utilization of lignin as part of new engineering materials. (3) Enzymatic activation of the middle-lamella lignin of wood fibers for the production of wood composites. The incubation of wood fibers with a phenol oxidizing enzyme results in oxidative activation of the lignin crust on the fiber surface. When such fibers are pressed together, boards are obtained which meet the German standards for medium-density fiber boards (MDF). The fibers are bound together in a way that comes close to that by which wood fibers are bound together in naturally grown wood. This process will, for the first time, yield wood composites that are produced solely from naturally grown products without any addition of resins.

Biopolymers↗

Lignification in the flax stem: evidence for an unusual lignin in bast fibers.

In the context of our research on cell wall formation and maturation in flax (Linum usitatissimum L) bast fibers, we (1) confirmed the presence of lignin in bast fibers and (2) quantified and characterized the chemical nature of this lignin at two developmental stages. Histochemical methods (Weisner and Maüle reagents and KMnO(4)-staining) indicating the presence of lignin in bast fibers at the light and electron microscope levels were confirmed by chemical analyses (acetyl bromide). In general, the lignin content in flax bast fibers varied between 1.5% and 4.2% of the dry cell wall residues (CWRs) as compared to values varying between 23.7% and 31.4% in flax xylem tissues. Immunological and chemical analyses (thioacidolysis and nitrobenzene oxidation) indicated that both flax xylem- and bast fiber-lignins were rich in guaiacyl (G) units with S/G values inferior to 0.5. In bast fibers, the highly sensitive immunological probes allowed the detection of condensed guaiacyl-type (G) lignins in the middle lamella, cell wall junctions, and in the S1 layer of the secondary wall. In addition, lower quantities of mixed guaiacyl-syringyl (GS) lignins could be detected throughout the secondary cell wall. Chemical analyses suggested that flax bast-fiber lignin is more condensed than the corresponding xylem lignin. In addition, H units represented up to 25% of the monomers released from bast-fiber lignin as opposed to a value of 1% for the corresponding xylem tissue. Such an observation indicates that the structure of flax bast-fiber lignin is significantly different from that of the more typical 'woody plant lignin', thereby suggesting that flax bast fibers represent an interesting system for studying an unusual lignification process.

Cell Wall↗

Efficiency of lignin biosynthesis: a quantitative analysis.

Lignin is derived mainly from three alcohol monomers: p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol and sinapyl alcohol. Biochemical reactions probably responsible for synthesizing these three monomers from sucrose, and then polymerizing the monomers into lignin, were analysed to estimate the amount of sucrose required to produce a unit of lignin. Included in the calculations were amounts of respiration required to provide NADPH (from NADP(+)) and ATP (from ADP) for lignin biosynthesis. Two pathways in the middle stage of monomer biosynthesis were considered: one via tyrosine (found in monocots) and the other via phenylalanine (found in all plants). If lignin biosynthesis proceeds with high efficiency via tyrosine, 76.9, 70.4 and 64.3 % of the carbon in sucrose can be retained in the fraction of lignin derived from p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol and sinapyl alcohol, respectively. The corresponding carbon retention values for lignin biosynthesis via phenylalanine are less, at 73.2, 65.7 and 60.7 %, respectively. Energy (i.e. heat of combustion) retention during lignin biosynthesis via tyrosine could be as high as 81.6, 74.5 and 67.8 % for lignin derived from p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol and sinapyl alcohol, respectively, with the corresponding potential energy retention values for lignin biosynthesis via phenylalanine being less, at 77.7, 69.5 and 63.9 %, respectively. Whether maximum efficiency occurs in situ is unclear, but these values are targets that can be considered in: (1) plant breeding programmes aimed at maximizing carbon or energy retention from photosynthate; (2) analyses of (minimum) metabolic costs of responding to environmental change or pest attack involving increased lignin biosynthesis; (3) understanding costs of lignification in older tissues; and (4) interpreting carbon balance measurements of organs and plants with large lignin concentrations.

Biological Transport↗

Solubilization of lignin by the ruminal anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix patriciarum.

The ability of the ruminal anaerobic phycomycete Neocallimastix patriciarum to digest model lignin compounds and lignified structures in plant material was studied in batch culture. The fungus did not degrade or transform model lignin compounds that were representative of the predominant intermonomer linkages in lignin, nor did it solubilize acid detergent lignin that had been isolated from spear grass. In a stem fraction of sorghum, 33.6% of lignin was apparently solubilized by the fungus. Solubilization of ester- and either-linked phenolics accounted for 9.2% of the lignin released. The amounts of free phenolic acids detected in culture fluid were equivalent to the apparent loss of ester-linked phenolics from the sorghum substrate. However, the fungus was unable to cleave the ether bond in hydroxycinnamic acid bridges that cross-link lignin and polysaccharide. It is suggested that the majority of the solubilized lignin fraction was a lignin carbohydrate complex containing ether-linked hydroxycinnamic acids. The lignin carbohydrate complex was probably solubilized through dissolution of xylan in the lignin-xylan matrix rather than by lignin depolymerization.

Anaerobiosis↗

Degradation of natural and Kraft lignins by the microflora of soil and water.

The comparative rates of microbial degradation of 14C-lignin-labeled lignocelluloses and 14C-Kraft lignins were investigated using selected soil and water samples as sources of microorganisms. Natural lignocelluloses containing 14C primarily in their lignin components were prepared by feeding plants uniformly labeled L-[14C]phenylalanine through their cut stems. 14C-Kraft lignins were prepared by pulping lignin-labeled lignocelluloses. Rates of lignin biodegradation were determined by monitoring 14CO2 evolution from incubation mixtures over incubation periods of up to 1000 h. Observed rates of lignin degradation were slow in all cases. Kraft lignins appeared more resistant to microbial attack than natural lignins, even though they were decomposed more rapidly during the first 100-200 h of incubation. Similar degradation patterns were observed in both soil and water. Individual samples, however, varied greatly in their overall rates of degradation of either lignin type. A Kraft-lignin preparation was separated into a variety of molecular weight fractions by column chromatography on LH-20 Sephadex and the biodegradability of the different molecular weight fractions determined. The lower molecular weight fractions of the Kraft lignin were decomposed at a significantly faster rate by the microflora of soil than were the fractions of higher molecular weight.

Bacteria↗

Lignin peroxidase: toward a clarification of its role in vivo.

The extracellular lignin peroxidase from the white-rot basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium is thought to play an important role in lignin biodegradation. However, the majority of lignin-derived preparations actually experience overall polymerization at the hands of the enzyme in vitro. It has now been found that, in the presence of H2O2 at pH 4.0, the monomeric lignin precursor coniferyl alcohol is polymerized quantitatively by a lignin peroxidase preparation which is uncontaminated with MnII-dependent peroxidases. 13C NMR spectrometry of the resulting dehydropolymerisates from 13C-labeled monolignols confirms that the frequencies of different interunit linkages are very similar to those engendered through the action of horseradish peroxidase with H2O2. Indeed, lignin peroxidase does not ultimately seem to be a prerequisite for lignin degradation in vivo, yet its activity can still accelerate the conversion of lignin-derived preparations by P. chrysosporium to CO2. Consequently, lignin peroxidase can provisionally be expected to fulfill two important functions. On the one hand, the enzyme may detoxify lower molecular weight phenolic compounds released from lignins during their fungal decomposition. On the other hand, through the introduction of suitable functional groups, lignin peroxidase could indirectly enhance the susceptibility of macromolecular lignin structures toward depolymerization by another enzyme.

Basidiomycota↗

Influence of ozonized kraft lignin on the crystallization of CaCO3.

Results are reviewed from a study examining how structural modifications introduced by ozonization enhance the influence of kraft lignin on the crystallization of CaCO(3). Ozone treatment of kraft lignin in an aqueous environment is shown to increase its carboxylic acid and overall oxygen content and reduce its molecular weight. Calcium concentration and temperature were monitored in heated supersaturated solutions containing ozonized kraft lignins to gauge their influence on CaCO(3) crystallization processes. The presence of kraft lignin raises the temperature necessary to induce crystallization. This effect is shown to level off at relatively low lignin concentrations and be dependent on the extent of ozone treatment the kraft lignin has undergone. A linear correlation is found between crystallization temperatures and the carboxylic acid content of ozonized lignin samples indicating the introduction of these functional groups plays an important role in enhancing its inhibitory effect. Scanning electron microscopy images of crystals grown in the presence of kraft lignins show significant morphological modifications. These are consistent with specific or pseudo specific interactions between the lignin and crystal faces of calcite to inhibit growth parallel to its c axis. The influence over crystal morphology demonstrated by modified kraft lignin increases with increasing ozonization. Also presented here are crystallization temperature data for a range of kraft lignin ultrafiltration fractions, which indicate that the optimal (nominal) molecular weight of kraft lignin for inhibiting the crystallization of CaCO(3) lies between 5000 and 10000.

Journal Article↗

THE PROPERTIES OF SYRINGYL, GUAIACYL AND P-HYDROXYPHENYL ARTIFICIAL LIGNINS.

1. Artificial lignins have been produced on potato parenchyma. 2. The methoxyl-free lignin and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy (guaiacyl) lignins could be estimated by the sulphuric acid method but the 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy (syringyl) lignins could not. 3. Permanganate oxidation of isolated p-coumaric lignin gave 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxyisophthalic acid and small amounts of hydroxytrimesic acid and 4-hydroxyphthalic acid. Ferulic lignin gave vanillic acid and 5-carboxyvanillic acid and also small amounts of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and dehydrodivanillic acid. The sinapic lignin gave traces of syringic acid and of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid. 4. The p-coumaric lignin is a highly condensed polymer. The ferulic lignin is partly uncondensed and partly condensed through the 5-position like gymnosperm lignin. The sinapic lignin shows no evidence of condensation and is probably an ether-linked polymer.

Benzoates↗