FeCl3-Promoted Photocatalytic Cleavage of Cα–Cβ Bond in Lignin and Lignin Model to Benzoic Acid

Because of the complex structure and inherent inert chemical activity of lignin, it is still challenging to depolymerize lignin to obtain valuable chemicals efficiently. Here, we present an FeCl3-promoted photocatalytic depolymerization strategy to realize the Cα–Cβ oxidative cleavage of lignin model compounds at room temperature. The method generates benzoic acid and phenol compounds in high yields. In addition, the method is effective for the depolymerization of organosolv lignin by cleavage of the products of Cα–Cβ bonds and affords the corresponding products. This strategy provides a method of using an economical photocatalyst to depolymerize lignin and provides a reference for the industrial depolymerization of lignin.