Degradation and Transformation of Organic Fluorine Compounds

Abstract

An overview is given of the degradation and transformation of organic fluorine compounds by aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, yeasts, and fungi. Representatives of the major structural types of aliphatic, aromatic carbocyclic and heterocyclic compounds are included and a mechanistic view of the enzymology has been given where possible. Potential applications of organic fluorine compounds in biotechnology and the metabolism of organic fluorine compounds in higher organisms are briefly discussed. The use of fluorinated substrates to elucidate the mechanism of irreversible enzyme inactivation is illustrated for both microbial and a few mammalian enzymes. A number of abiotic systems including chemical and photochemical reactions are noted and compared with biochemical pathways. Throughout, a comparison is made with chlorinated analogues, and this reveals broadly comparable pathways for biodegradation and biotransformation.