To investigate how solubility and steric issues affect the laccase-catalysedoxidationof phenols, a series of oligomeric polyphenol compounds, having increasing size and decreasing solubility in water, was incubated with laccase. The extent of substrate conversion, and the nature of the products formed in buffered aqueous solutions, were com-pared to those obtained in the presence of an organic cosolvent, and also in the presence of twomediating species, . N-hydroxyphthalimide (HPI) and 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidin-1-yloxy (TEMPO). .
