Occurrence of fluoroacetate, a naturally-produced organohalogen, in plants

Production of organohalogen compounds in plants has been considered to be an unusual phenomenon although more than 130 chlorine-containing compounds have been isolated from higher plants and ferns (Engvild 1986). Organochlorine compounds are the most common of them, but also a few fluoro, bromo and iodo compounds have been identified (Siuda and DeBernardis 1973). At present seven organofluoro compounds have been identified in plants, of which fluoroacetate (FA) is the most common.