A new method for synthesising model lignin oligomers will help scientists turn plant matter into biofuel

Lignin is a complex and random polymer. This representative substructure shows some of the common linkages in lignin

A new method for synthesising model lignin oligomers will help scientists turn plant matter into biofuel

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/10/model-lignin-oligomers-biofuel

Unlike cellulose, a plant cell wall component with a repeating polymer structure, lignin is a complex and random polymer. The chemical units are linked by different connectivities, so one single process cannot attack all of these bonds. Previously, monomers and dimers were used to model chemical linkages of lignin, but were too simple for the study of lignin itself. More complex trimers, tetramers and hexamers have been synthesised, but with inefficient, low-yielding methods.  read all at   http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/10/model-lignin-oligomers-biofuel