Chemical Characterization and Modification of Lignins

This chapter is devoted to the chemical modification of lignins that can be performed on lignin, with an extensive summary of the main reactions. Most of these chemical transformations lead to the degradation of lignins in order to obtain the fragments of the polymer. These reactions have contributed to clarify many aspects of lignin structure. A final section of the chapter is dedicated to the study of lignin degradation by enzymes and microorganisms.