Electroenzymatic oxidation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons using chemical redox mediators in organic media

The bioelectrochemical oxidation of two polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH): anthracene (ANT) and pyrene (PYR), using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) resulting in the synthesis of photoactive polyaromatic quinones in organic media was studied. The electrochemical generation of hydrogen peroxide was compared with its direct addition in concentrations of up to 0.0012 mol L−1. In addition, three different chemical redox mediators were evaluated: ABTS, thionin and ortho-aminophenol. In a reaction medium containing 30% acetone and ABTS as mediator with a molar ratio mediator/PAH of 1:10, HRP attained the highest level of oxidation of PAH (1 × 10−3 mol L−1): ANT (94%) and PYR (91%), producing 9,10-anthraquinone and mainly 1,2 and 4,5-pyrenequinones, respectively.