바이오매스 전처리에 효과적인 이온성 액체로 주목받고 있는 1-ethyl-3- methylimidazolium acetate를 사용하여 리기다소나무(pitch pine)로부터 리그닌을 추출하였고, 추출한 리그닌(Ionic Liquid Lignin : ILL)의 화학구조적 특성을 동일한 수종에서 단리한 milled wood lignin (MWL)과 비교분석하였다. 작용기 분석 결과 ILL과 MWL은 각각 10.0, 7.2%의 페놀성 수산기와 4.9, 11.0%의 메톡실기를 갖는 것으로 나타났다. ILL의 중량평균 분자량(3,995 Da)은 MWL (8,438 Da)에 비해 약 2배 정도 낮았으며, 다분산지수는 1.36으로 MWL (3.18)보다 낮은 값을 보였다. ILL의 열중량 분석 결과에 의하면 최대중량감소율(Vm)이 나타나는 온도(Tm)는 $306.6^{circ}C$로 MWL ($341.9^{circ}C$)보다 낮아 ILL이 MWL에 비해 열적으로 불안정하다는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.
1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate known as efficient biomass pretreatment reagent was used for the extraction of lignin from rigida pine wood (pitch pine), which was called to ionic liquid lignin (ILL), and chemical structural features of ILL were compared with the corresponding milled wood lignin (MWL). The amounts of phenolic hydroxyl groups (Phe-OH) was determined to 10.0% for ILL and 7.2% for MWL, respectively, where those of methoxyl groups (OMe) were 4.9% for ILL and 11.0% for MWL, respectively. The weight average molecular weight (Mw) of ILL (3,995) were determined to ca. 1/2 of that of MWL (8,438) and polydispersity index (PDI: Mw/Mn) suggested that the lignin fragments were more uniform in the ILL (PDI 1.36) than in the MWL (PDI 2.64). The temperature (Tm) corresponding to maximum decomposition rate (Vm) of ILL ($306.6^{circ}C$) was ca. $35^{circ}C$ lower than that of MWL ($341.9^{circ}C$), suggesting that ILL was thermally unstable than MWL, as evidence from the lower Tm for ILL. Moreover, the structural characteristics of ILL and MWL were confirmed by spectroscopic analyses (FT-IR and $^{13}C$-NMR), and these results indicated ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate) was chemically or physically bound to ILL.
