Pyrolysis in combination with gas chromatography is currently used to characterize biopolymers, supplying reliable information about its chemical structure (Martin et al. 1977, 1979; Sáiz-Jiménez et al. 1979). This method has barely been applied to lignins. Kratzl et al. (1965) studied the pyrolysis - gas chromatography of lignins, identifying 15 compounds and stating that method can be used for rapid identification of lignins. Watanabe et al. (1966) using the same technique were able to differentiate softwood from hardwood lignins in terms of pyrolysis products. Furthermore, they found that the mole ratio of pyrolysis products had analogy with the ratio of alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation products. Recently, Faix and Schweers (1975) pyrolysing lignin model polymers (DHP's) found that the yields of guaiacol, methylguaiacol, ethylguaiacol, syringol and methylsyringol, the main components of the pyrolysates, showed a systematic dependence from the amounts of the guaiacyl and syringyl units in the DHP's.

3 pages, 1 figure, 2 tables, 8 references.

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