In this paper, five lignin model compounds (vanilly alcohol, veratryl alcohol, veratryl methyl carbinol, biseugenol) and three cellulose model compounds (${alpha}$-D-glucos, methyl-${eta}$-D-glucopyra-noside, D-cellobiose) were used to study the degradation rates of lignin and cellulose with chlorine dioxide. Biseugenol, which has unsaturated structure on the side chain of aromatic ring, was found to react with chlorine dioxide very quickly and consume large amount of chlorine dioxide. Phenolic structures, represented by veratryl alcohol and apocynol, react with chlorine dioxide much faster than nonphenolic structures represented by veratryl alcohol and veratryl methyl carbinol. The degradations of cellulose models were generally very slight, the corder of reaction rate being ${alpha}$-D-glucose > D-cellobiose > methyl-${alpha}$-D-glucopyranoside.