The nascent steps in the pyrolysis of the lignin components, salicylaldehyde (o-HOC<
sub>
6<
/sub>
H<
sub>
4<
/sub>
CHO) and catechol (<
em>
o<
/em>
-HOC<
sub>
6<
/sub>
H<
sub>
4<
/sub>
OH), have been studied in a set of heated micro-reactors. The micro-reactors are small (roughly 1 mm ID x 3 cm long)
transit times through the reactors are about 100 ?sec. Temperatures in the micro-reactors can be as high as 1600 K and pressures are typically a few hundred Torr. The products of pyrolysis are identified by a combination of photoionization mass spectrometry, photoelectron photoion concidence mass spectroscopy, and matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. The main pathway by which salicylaldehyde decomposes is a concerted fragmentation: <
em>
o<
/em>
-HOC<
sub>
6<
/sub>
H<
sub>
4<
/sub>
CHO (+ M) ? H<
sub>
2<
/sub>
+ CO + C<
sub>
5<
/sub>
H<
sub>
4<
/sub>
═
C═
O (fulveneketene). At temperatures above 1300 K, fulveneketene loses CO to yield a mixture of (HC☰
C?C☰
C?CH<
sub>
3<
/sub>
, HC☰
C?CH<
sub>
2<
/sub>
?C☰
CH, and HC☰
C?CH═
C═
CH<
sub>
2<
/sub>
). These alkynes decompose to a mixture of radicals (HC☰
C?C☰
C?CH<
sub>
2<
/sub>
and HC☰
C?CH?C☰
CH) and H-atoms. H-atom chain reactions convert salicylaldehyde to phenol: <
em>
o<
/em>
-HOC<
sub>
6<
/sub>
H<
sub>
4<
/sub>
CHO + H ? C<
sub>
6<
/sub>
H<
sub>
5<
/sub>
OH + CO + H. Catechol has similar chemistry to salicylaldehyde. Electrocyclic fragmentation produces water and fulveneketene: <
em>
o<
/em>
-HOC<
sub>
6<
/sub>
H<
sub>
4<
/sub>
OH (+ M) ? H<
sub>
2<
/sub>
O + C<
sub>
5<
/sub>
H<
sub>
4<
/sub>
═
C═
O. These findings have implications for the pyrolysis of lignin itself.