New frontiers in biological halogenation [Review]

摘要

The synthesis of halogenated compounds in biological systems is well established, yet the mechanisms by which these compounds are formed are poorly understood. Many commercially important compounds, such as pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, contain halogens; indeed some halogenated natural products, such as the antibiotic vancomycin, are themselves valuable. Furthermore, several environmentally significant organohalogens can be formed naturally, for example it is likely that a significant proportion of the atmospheric bromomethane is produced by higher plants (Gan et al. 1998).