Electrochemical behavior of catechol and 3,4-dihydroxytoluene in acetonitrile at a platinum-disk electrode modified with a tyrosinase containing polyacrylamide film.

A modified platinum-disk electrode coated with a non-plasticized polyacrylamide (PAA) membrane was used to study electrochemically an enzymatic reaction between tyrosinase in the PAA membrane and catechol and 3,4-dihydroxytoluene in acetonitrile (AN). Tyrosinase, a hydrophilic biofunctional material, was immobilized in the thin PAA membrane, which adhered to the platinum-disk electrode and was stable in AN. The enzymatic activity of tyrosinase in the PAA membrane to the above substrates in AN was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry and amperometry. The apparent maximum velocities (Vmaxapp) and the apparent Michaelis constants (Kmapp) were determined from the amperometric results; the apparent turnover numbers were also determined. The reduction potentials of the substrates were reported vs. the cathodic peak potential of ferrocene in AN to improve the reliability of the potential data and to make possible a comparison of the potentials in different solvents. The electrochemical system discussed in this report can be used for tracing enzymatic reactions with substrates dissolving in aprotic dipolar solvents and for investigating solvent effects on enzymatic activities.