STUDIES ON LIGNIN AND RELATED COMPOUNDS: IX. ETHERS OF GLYCOL-LIGNIN

Glycol-lignin prepared from spruce wood has been found to form a sodium salt which reacts with chloro-derivatives, giving rise to the corresponding glycol-lignin ethers. These compounds are insoluble in aqueous sodium hydroxide but still contain free hydroxyl groups which can be methylated without the ethereal linkage being broken. Hence glycol-lignin contains several free hydroxyl groups, one or more of which possess acidic properties. Both the methoxymethyl ether and the 2:4-dinitrophenyl ether of glycol-lignin have been prepared. The evidence would seem to indicate the presence of both phenolic and aliphatic hydroxyl groups.