Functional group retention for high-value transformation of biomass platform molecules

Under the backdrop of carbon neutrality, biomass, as the only natural and renewable aromatic carbon resource, has seen its efficient and high-value utilization become a forefront direction in green catalysis. The “functional group retention” strategy, by selectively activating C–O/C–C bonds and protecting key structural units such as phenolic hydroxyl groups, alcohol hydroxyl groups, methoxy groups, and aromatic rings, extends to the precise construction of C–N bonds, enhancing product value and atomic economy. Using lignocellulose platform molecules, including guaiacol, vanillin, eugenol, and phenol, as core model systems, this review systematically outlines the multiple mechanisms by which solvent engineering and electronic structure regulation of catalysts enable directional conversion. It elaborates on solvent-mediated effects such as polarity and dielectric constant influencing transition state stability, proton transfer facilitating hydrogen-free conversion, hydrogen bond networks enabling self-protection of functional groups, and biphasic systems enhancing mass transfer and separation efficiency. Meanwhile, it analyzes quantitative parameters including d-band center, d-charge density, oxygen vacancy concentration, and surface acidity to establish a structure-performance relationship linking electronic structure, adsorption behavior, reaction pathway, and macroscopic properties. A new paradigm of “solvent-interface-electron synergy design” is proposed to advance biomass catalysis from empirical trial-and-error toward rational and intelligent design, achieving closed-loop resource utilization of all components.