The cyanogenic substrate for horseradish peroxidase is a conjugated enamine.

We identify the cyanogenic substrate for horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as a conjugated enamine and explore this unusual reaction using alpha-aminocinnamate (RH) as follows. 1) HRP catalyzes the oxidation of RH by O2 (and its peroxidation by H2O2 to form R-R) to produce, simultaneously, CN- and benzaldehyde cyanohydrin. 2) RH is transient and must be generated in situ. The properties of the cyanogenic reaction of HRP are independent of the method of preparation of RH (whether this be condensation of NH3 with phenylpyruvate, enzymatic hydrolysis of glycyldehydrophenylalanine, or oxidation of L-phenylalanine by L-amino acid oxidase). 3) The oxidation of RH is a free radical chain reaction initiated by HRP Compounds I and II (I (or II) + RH----R. + II (or HRP], propagated by RO2. (R. + O2----RO2., RO2. + RH----R. + RO2H), and terminated by recombination reactions such as 2R.----R2 and RO2.----R' + HO2. followed by R. + HO2.----RH + O2. KMnO4 and K3Fe(CN)6 can substitute for HRP. 4) The proximal precursor of CN- and cyanohydrin is postulated to be RO2H (phi-CH(-O2H)-CCO2-(= NH]. These results explain why cyanide is generated from the synergistic action of HRP and L-amino acid oxidase on aromatic L-amino acids and O2 and suggest that the requirement for a beta-aryl substituent on the enamine originates in the reaction of RH with HRP, or of R with O2, rather than the imine/enamine tautomerization of the L-amino acid oxidase product.