Quantitative HSQC Analyses of Lignin: A Practical Comparison

Lignin is the second-most abundant polymer after cellulose within the biomass of our planet. Structurally, it displays random oligomeric units without fixed repetition schemes beyond the stage of dimers. Quantitative (1)H-(13)C HSQC measurements have recently greatly facilitated lignin analyses. In some cases, however, long acquisition times needed for obtaining quantitative HSQCs are not compatible with the chemical integrity of (a potentially functionalised) lignin sample. We thus compared different methods that were developed for more time-efficient quantitative HSQC measurements with respect to their usefulness in lignin analyses: reliable and reproducible results were obtained using both the QQ-HSQC and the HSQC(0) method.