Sustainable Production of Benzylamines from Lignin

Catalytic conversion of lignin into heteroatom functionalized chemicals is of great importance to bring the biorefinery concept into reality. Herein, a new strategy was designed for direct transformation of lignin beta-O-4 model compounds into benzylamines and phenols in moderate to excellent yields in the presence of organic amines. The transformation involves dehydrogenation of C-alpha-OH, hydrogenolysis of the C-beta-O bond and reductive amination in the presence of Pd/C catalyst. Experimental data suggest that the dehydrogenation reaction proceeds over the other two reactions and secondary amines serve as both reducing agents and amine sources in the transformation. Moreover, the concept of lignin to benzylamines was demonstrated by a two-step process. This work represents a first example of synthesis of benzylamines from lignin, thus providing a new opportunity for the sustainable synthesis of benzylamines from renewable biomass, and expanding the products pool of biomass conversion to meet future biorefinery demands.

Automated summary

The study presents a new strategy for the direct transformation of lignin model compounds into benzylamines and phenols, with experimental data indicating the significance of dehydrogenation reaction and the role of secondary amines in the transformation. This work provides a novel opportunity for sustainable synthesis of benzylamines from renewable biomass, expanding the products pool of biomass conversion for future biorefinery demands.