biostudies-literatureUnknown14(40)Soliman AIANatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaAssiut UniversityZhejiang UniversityCanada Research ChairsKnoevenagel condensation is a chemical reaction between aldehydes and active methylene-containing compounds in the presence of heterogeneous, basic homogenous organic or inorganic catalysts and solvent or neat systems. Herein, we introduced a new strategy for this synthesis by using the aqueous solution of cationic kraft lignin (CKL) as a catalyst. The CKL was synthesized through the reaction of kraft lignin (KL) with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC) in a basic medium. The optimal reaction conditions for the Knoevenagel reaction were 5% catalyst load (weight of catalyst to the weight of benzaldehyde), water as the solvent, and at room temperature, which generated the products with a yield of 97%, illustrating that the CKL was an effective homogenous and green catalyst. The resultRSC advances29595-29605https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11409447biostudies-literatureCationic lignin as an efficient and sustainable homogenous catalyst for aqueous Knoevenagel condensation reactions.PMC11409447Bacchus ASoliman AIAZare RFatehi PSutradhar SfalseCationic lignin as an efficient and sustainable homogenous catalyst for aqueous Knoevenagel condensation reactions.Knoevenagel condensation is a chemical reaction between aldehydes and active methylene-containing compounds in the presence of heterogeneous, basic homogenous organic or inorganic catalysts and solvent or neat systems. Herein, we introduced a new strategy for this synthesis by using the aqueous solution of cationic kraft lignin (CKL) as a catalyst. The CKL was synthesized through the reaction of kraft lignin (KL) with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC) in a basic medium. The optimal reaction conditions for the Knoevenagel reaction were 5% catalyst load (weight of catalyst to the weight of benzaldehyde), water as the solvent, and at room temperature, which generated the products with a yield of 97%, illustrating that the CKL was an effective homogenous and green catalyst. The result2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Sep2025-04-06T12:52:18.792Z2025-04-06T12:52:18.792ZS-EPMC114094473929703110.1039/d4ra05763e