A mechanistic survey of the oxidation of alcohols and ethers with the enzyme laccase and mediation by TEMPO

The oxidation of alcohols and ethers by O2 with the enzyme laccase, mediated by the stable N-oxyl radical TEMPO, affords carbonylic products. An ionic mechanism is proposed, where a nucleophilic attack of the oxygen lone-pair of the alcohol (or ether) onto the oxoammonium form of TEMPO (generated by laccase on oxidation) takes place leading to a transient adduct. Subsequent deprotonation of this adduct α to the C−Ο bond leads to the carbonylic product. Additional mechanistic considerations for the laccase-mediated oxidation of ethers and thioethers are offered. The proposed mechanism is supported by: (i) investigating the inter- and intramolecular selectivity of oxidation with appropriate substrates, (ii) thermochemical considerations, and (iii) attempting a Hammett correlation for the oxidation of a series of 4-X-substituted benzyl alcohols, wherein a shift of the rate-determining step as a function of the 4-X-substituent results. Based on the above points, the lack of mediation efficiency of another stable N-oxyl radical (viz., IND-O·) can be explained.