Simple rhodium terpyridine complexes were found to be suitable catalysts for the redox neutral cleavage of lignin in water. Apart from cleaving lignin model compounds into ketones and phenols, the catalytic system could also be applied to depolymerize dioxasolv lignin and lignocellulose, affording aromatic ketones as the major monomer products. The (hemi)cellulose components in the lignocellulose sample remain almost intact during lignin depolymerization, providing an example of a “lignin-first” process under mild conditions. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction proceeds via a rhodium catalyzed hydrogen autotransfer process.

中文翻译：

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铑-吡啶吡啶催化水中木质素的氧化还原中性解聚

发现简单的铑吡啶吡啶络合物是木质素在水中的氧化还原中性裂解的合适催化剂。除了将木质素模型化合物裂解为酮和酚外，该催化体系还可以用于解聚二氧杂酚木质素和木质纤维素，从而提供芳香族酮作为主要单体产物。木质纤维素样品中的（半）纤维素成分在木质素解聚过程中几乎保持完整，这是在温和条件下“木质素优先”过程的一个例子。机理研究表明，该反应通过铑催化的氢自转移过程进行。