Solid-State Structures and Properties of Lignin Hydrogenolysis Oil Compounds: Shedding a Unique Light on Lignin Valorization.

This article explores the important, and yet often overlooked, solid-state structures of selected bioaromatic compounds commonly found in lignin hydrogenolysis oil, a renewable bio-oil that holds great promise to substitute fossil-based aromatic molecules in a wide range of chemical and material industrial applications. At first, single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) was applied to the lignin model compounds, dihydroconiferyl alcohol, propyl guaiacol, and eugenol dimers, in order to elucidate the fundamental molecular interactions present in such small lignin-derived polyols. Then, considering the potential use of these lignin-derived molecules as building blocks for polymer applications, structural analysis was also performed for two chemically modified model compounds, i.