Electron Transfer Reactions in Pulping Systems VIII. Reactions of Syringyl Alcohol in Aqueous Alkali

Syringyl alcohol, a simple lignin model compound, has been heated in lM NaOH at 135°. Five products - three monomers and two dimers - were identified from the reaction mixture; two of the products were presumably formed by radical processes. One of the radical products, 4-methylsyringol, was shown by deuterium labeling to incorporate a benzylic hydrogen from syringyl alcohol. Alkaline reactions of syringyl alcohol in the presence of radical initiators and inhibitors were not able to establish if the condensation reactions proceeded by a radical mechanism.