Prof. Arduengo Reports Synthesis of Complex Compounds from Wood-Based Materials

Collaborative research from Prof. Anthony Arduengo and Prof. Til Opatz (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) on the synthesis of complex organic products in which all of the product carbons are derived from wood-based materials (xylochemicals).  The synthesis of ilicifoline was reported in Angewandte Chemie and was highlighted with the cover art work. The work has recently been highlighted by phys.org and Azocleantech.  Prof. Arduengo and Prof. Opatz’s research seeks to use renewable chemicals derived from wood products in place of chemicals derived from petroleum products. “Wood, a renewable resource that’s easily accessible, offers the opportunity to directly harvest a wide range of building blocks with diverse chemistries and structures that can then be used to build materials for the modern world,” according to Prof. Arduengo. “Just imagine a modern ‘oil boom’ or ‘gusher age’ that is not based on oil and petrochemicals, but rather the renewal resource of wood – a ‘Xylochemical’ revolution or boom.  Alabama, with its extensive well-managed forests, is center stage for this new technological and economic boom.”

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