480—Redox and adsorption behaviour of some redox coenzymes involved in an electron-transport chain studied by the electro-optical technique

The redox and adsorption behaviour of some redox coenzymes involved in an electron-transport chain, i.e. ubiquinone-10 (CoQ), flavocoenzymes flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)] and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺), has been studied at a gold electrode by cyclic voltammetry and specular reflectivity measurement. All the coenzymes investigated were found to participate in electron transport in adsorbed states on the electrode surface. Adsorbed CoQ and flavocoenzymes are reduced and the resulting products remain adsorbed at the surface. Contrary to them, adsorbed NAD⁺ is reduced and then desorbed immediately. Possible models for the surface orientation of adsorbed molecules were proposed based on the experimental data.Some analogies can be noted between the interfacial behaviour of these coenzymes at the electrode and that in mitochondria.