A recent survey of naturally occurring organohalogen compounds

Abstract

Environmental context The general perception that nature does not produce compounds containing halogens – chlorine, bromine, iodine and fluorine – is now known to be erroneous. Modern isolation and identification techniques have led to the discovery of more than 5000 halogen-containing compounds from myriad marine and terrestrial plant and animal sources. Many of these compounds possess extraordinary biological activity, including anticancer, antiviral and antibacterial activity of potential human benefit. Abstract This short review presents the naturally occurring organohalogen compounds discovered and characterised in 2014. They include compounds from both marine and terrestrial organisms, such as algae, sponges, corals, tunicates, bryozoans, fungi, bacteria, cyanobacteria and plants. Several novel structural types have been characterised. From only ~24 in 1968, naturally occurring organohalogens currently number more than 5000, and they continue to be discovered in all regions of the world. This review presents the 114 discovered organohalogens from natural sources in the year 2014.