Incorporation of dioxygen into the hydroxylated product during the C–C single bond cleavage of 1,2-bis(p-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-diol catalysed by hemin. A novel model sysystem for the hemoprotein ligninase

Oxidation of the lignin model compound 1,2-bis(p-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-diol (1) catalysed by hemin in the presence of t-butyl hydroperoxide and 18O2 yielded p-methoxyphenylethane-1,2-diol (2) with 83%18O incorporation into the newly formed hydroxy group and p-anisaldehyde (3) as the initial Cα–Cβ bond cleavage products.