Premium
On the Mechanism of the Laccase–Mediator System in the Oxidation of Lignin
Author(s) -
Crestini Claudia,
Jurasek Lubo,
Argyropoulos Dimitris S.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.200304818
Subject(s) - laccase , mediator , lignin , chemistry , organic chemistry , molecular oxygen , oxygen , oxidative phosphorylation , biochemistry , enzyme , biology , endocrinology
Abstract In an effort to elucidate the role of phenolic and non‐phenolic lignin subunits in a laccase mediator (LM) system, vanillyl alcohol was oxidized with laccase in the presence and absence of the mediator 1‐hydroxybenzotriazol (HBT). Furthermore, the role of phenolic, aliphatic hydroxyl, and carboxylic acid moieties in lignin degradation was elucidated by selectively blocking them. The modified samples were then subjected to laccase and laccase–HBT treatments. On the basis of this data it was possible to establish the role of this mediator. HBT mediates the oxidation of lignin by inducing side‐chain oxidation and oxygen‐addition products rather than oxidative coupling reactions.