Polymerization of phenols catalyzed by peroxidase in nonaqueous media

✍ Scribed by Jonathan S. Dordick; Michael A. Marletta; Alexander M. Klibanov

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 548 KB
• Volume: 30
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0006-3592
• DOI: 10.1002/bit.260300106

✦ Synopsis

Polymers produced by horseradish-peroxidase-catalyzed coupling of phenols have been explored as potential substitutes for phenol-formaldehyde resins. To overcome low substrate solubilities and product molecular weights in water, enzymatic polymerizations in aqueous-organic mixtures have been examined. Peroxidase vigorously polymerizes a number of phenols in mixtures of water with water-miscible solvents such as dioxane, acetone, di- methylformamide, and methyl formate with the solvent content up to 95%. As a result, various phenolic polymers with average molecular weights from 400 to 2.6 x lo4 D were obtained depending on the reaction medium composition and the nature of the phenol. Peroxidase-catalyzed copolymerization of different phenols in 85% dioxane was demonstrated. Poly(pphenylpheno1) and poly(pcresol) were enzymatically prepared on a gram scale. They had much higher melting points, and in addition, poly(p-phenylphenol) was found to have a much higher electrical conductivity than phenol-formaldehyde resins.