New mediators of laccase have been comparatively evaluated and ranked towards the benchmark aerobic oxidation of p-MeO-benzyl alcohol. The mechanism of oxidation of this non-phenolic substrate by each mediator, which is initially oxidised by laccase to the Medox form, has been assessed among three alternatives. The latter make the phenoloxidise laccase competent for the indirect oxidation of non-phenolic (and thus ‘unnatural’) substrates. Experimental characterisation of the mediators, by means of spectrophotometric, electrochemical and thermochemical survey, is reported. Clear-cut evidence for the formation of a benzyl radical intermediate in the oxidation of a particular benzyl alcohol with laccase and a N–OH mediator is attained by means of a trapping experiment. The selectivity of the laccase-catalysed oxidation of two competing lignin and polysaccharide model compounds has been assessed by using the highly proficient 4-MeO-HPI mediator, and found very high in favour of the former model. This evidence is in keeping with the operation of a radical hydrogen-abstraction process that efficiently cleaves the benzylic rather than the aliphatic C–H bond of the two models. Significant is the finding that catechol, i.e., a model of recurring phenolic structures in lignin, once oxidised to aryloxyl radical by laccase is capable to mediate a radical oxidation of non-phenolic compounds. This supports a fully-fledged role of laccase as a delignifying enzyme in nature by way of no other mediators than the very phenolic groups of lignin. Finally, an evaluation of the dissociation energy of the NO–H bond of HBT, which is not accessible experimentally, is provided by the use of a thermochemical cycle and theoretical calculations.
针对对-MeO-
苄醇的有氧氧化基准,对
漆酶的新介质进行了比较评估和排序。每种介质氧化这种非
酚类底物的机理都在三种备选方案中进行了评估。后者使
酚氧化
漆酶能够间接氧化非
酚(因此是 "非天然 "的)底物。报告通过分光光度法、电
化学法和热
化学法对介质进行了实验表征。通过诱捕实验,清楚地证明了在
漆酶和 N-OH 介质氧化特定
苄醇的过程中形成了苄基自由基中间体。通过使用高度熟练的 4-MeO-H
PI 媒介剂,对
漆酶催化氧化两种相互竞争的
木质素和
多糖模型化合物的选择性进行了评估,结果发现前一种模型的选择性非常高。这一证据与自由基氢萃取过程的操作相吻合,该过程能有效地裂解两种模型中的苄基而非脂肪族 C-H 键。重要的是,
儿茶酚(即
木质素中重复出现的
酚类结构模型)一旦被
漆酶氧化成芳基自由基,就能介导非
酚类化合物的自由基氧化。这支持了
漆酶作为脱
木质素酶在自然界中的全面作用,除了
木质素中的
酚基外,没有其他媒介。最后,利用热
化学循环和理论计算,对 HBT 的 NO-H 键的解离能进行了评估。