LAUSR

Lignin is the largest source of bio-based aromatic compounds in nature, and its valorization is essential to the sustainability of lignocellulosic biorefining. Characterizing lignin-derived compounds remains challenging due to the heterogeneity of this biopolymer. Tandem mass spectrometry is a promising tool for lignin structural analytics, as fragmentation patterns of model compounds can be extrapolated to identify characteristic moieties in complex samples. This work extends previous resonance excitation type collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) methods that identified lignin oligomers containing β–O–4, β–5, and β–β bonds, to also identify characteristics of 5–5, β–1, and 4–O–5 dimers, enabled by beam type CAD with energy-resolved mass spectrometry (ERMS). Overall, beam type ERMS offers in-depth structural information and could ultimately contribute to tools for high-throughput lignin dimer identification.