Issue 10, 2023

Sustainable production of active pharmaceutical ingredients from lignin-based benzoic acid derivatives via “demand orientation”

Abstract

Research related to lignin valorization into fine chemicals is an extremely demanding task due to the wide distribution and low economic value of depolymerization products. Benzoic acid derivatives (BADs) are the final products of the selective oxidation of the lignin side chain (i.e., p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, and benzoic acid), with favorable processibility functionality, showing great potential in the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) containing ester and carbonyl groups. Herein, this tutorial review presents our views on lignin utilization, especially using lignin-based benzoic acid derivatives (LBADs) as raw materials for the synthesis of APIs, with the aim of providing a greener, more eco-friendly approach for providing a sustainable route for the production of APIs. We first introduce the conversion of lignin or lignin platform compounds via the oxidative cleavage of C–C and C–O bonds to LBADs. Subsequently, focusing on the functional group modification strategy for the conversion of LBADs, we raise a “Demand Orientation” concept and several typical API synthesis routes. This tutorial review provides green production routes from LBADs in six instances (i.e., trimebutine, aniracetam, diethylstilbestrol, dopamine, acetaminophen, oxybuprocaine). Finally, several others APIs from LBADs via theoretically feasible and sustainable routes are proposed. Some personal perspectives are provided to highlight the opportunities within this attractive field.

Graphical abstract: Sustainable production of active pharmaceutical ingredients from lignin-based benzoic acid derivatives via “demand orientation”

Article information

Article type
Tutorial Review
Submitted
20 jan. 2023
Accepted
23 mar. 2023
First published
24 mar. 2023

Green Chem., 2023,25, 3791-3815

Sustainable production of active pharmaceutical ingredients from lignin-based benzoic acid derivatives via “demand orientation”

Y. Dong, L. Dong, X. Gu, Y. Wang, Y. Liao, R. Luque and Z. Chen, Green Chem., 2023, 25, 3791 DOI: 10.1039/D3GC00241A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements