Copper complex catalysis, oxidative polymerization

Oxidative coupling polymerization provides great utility for the synthesis of high-performance polymers. Oxidative polymerization is also observed in vivo as important biosynthetic processes that, when catalyzed by metalloenzymes, proceed smoothly under an air atmosphere at room temperature. For example, lignin, which composes 30% of wood tissue, is produced by the oxidative polymerization of coniferyl alcohol catalyzed by laccase, an enzyme containing a copper complex as a reactive center. Tyrosine is an a-amino acid and is oxidatively polymerized by tyrosinase (Cu enzyme) to melanin, the black pigment in animals. These reactions proceed efficiently at room temperature in the presence of 02 by means of catalysis by metalloenzymes. Oxidative polymerization is observed in vivo as an important biosynthetic process that proceeds efficiently by oxidases. 

The last example to be mentioned deals with the application of coordination compounds attached to polymers and their use as immobilized catalysts. This technique has been used for a long time in organometallic catalysis. Similar reactions with biomimetic catalysts, as with Cu(II) oxidases, are less well known, and a review for polymeric copper imidazole complexes used in oxidative phenol coupling is available. 

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