Enzymatic synthesis of a soluble polyphenol derivative from 4,4′‐biphenyldiol

Enzymatic oxidative polymerization of 4,4′‐biphenyldiol was performed in an aqueous organic solvent using horseradish peroxidase as catalyst. In the polymerization using a mixture of 1,4‐dioxane and phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) (80:20 vol‐%) as solvent, the monomer was quantitatively consumed to give powdery polymeric materials in a high yield. The resulting polymer is soluble in polar solvents such as N , N ‐dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and acetone. The molecular weight of the methylated product is 7.3 × 10 3 . The polymer exhibits high thermal stability under nitrogen.