Lignin-polystyrene graft copolymers

The new synthetic approach being adopted for the preparation of the lignin-polystyrene graft copolymer involved three steps. 

Reaction of the mesylated lignin prepared in step 1 (Fig. 1) with the polystyryl carbanion (living polystyrene) from step 2 (Fig. 2). The carbanion displaces the mesylate groups on the lignin in a nucleophilic displacement reaction with the formation of the polystyrene-lignin graft copolymer (Fig. 3). 

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