A non-phenolic beta-O-4 lignin substructure model dimer, 1-(4-ethoxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-(2,6-dimethoxyphenoxy)ethanol (1) was oxidized by Trametes versicolor laccase in the presence of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (1-HBT) to give many degradation products (II-VII). When the degradation was performed under O-18(2), one oxygen atom(O-18) was incorporated into the C2(beta)-OH of 1-(4-ethoxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-hydroxyethanone (III) formed via a beta-ether cleavage reaction. When the C2(beta)-H-2(2) labeled substrate I-H-2 was synthesized and oxidized by Laccase/1-HBT couple, deuterium atoms were retained in the product ethanone Ill. It is clearly indicated that ethanone Ill might be formed from substrate I without the abstraction of C2(beta)-protons during the oxidation. We conclude that ethanone III was formed via a peroxy radical intermediate produced from the reaction between the benzylic radical of substrate I catalyzed by the laccase/1-HBT couple and molecular oxygen. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.