Thermochemistry of lignin

Thermochemical reactions occurring in various stages of structural transformations of native lignin in its thermal treatment in a wide temperature range are considered and classified. Attention is given to the initial state of lignin in its primary isolation without heating. The terminology of lignin products, used in the literature, is put in order to a certain extent. The thermochemical reactions in which lignins are transformed in processing of raw wood materials and the structure of isolated lignins undergoes changes in the course of the target thermal treatment are differentiated. The applied aspect of the directed thermochemical synthesis of new lignin-based low- and high-molecular-mass compounds is discussed.