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

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