A near infrared fourier transform Raman (NIR-FTR) spectroscopic technique was utilized to characterize lignin in wood. The Raman bands for C C stretching derived from 4-hydroxy-3- methoxyphenyl (guaiacyl) nuclei and from 3, 5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl (syringyl) nuclei exist independently. The NIR-FTR analysis of a series of lignin model compounds indicated that a syringyl band was shifted to a lower frequency compared to a guaiacyl band. This ...