Naturally Occurring Organohalogen Compounds

Despite the long association of organohalogen compounds with human activities, nature is the producer of nearly 5,000 halogen-containing chemicals. Once dismissed as accidents of nature or isolation artifacts, organohalogen compounds represent an important and ever growing class of natural products, in many cases exhibiting exceptional biological activity. Since the last comprehensive review in 1996 (Vol. 68, this series), there have been discovered an additional 2,500 organochlorine, organobromine, and other organohalogen compounds. These natural organohalogens are biosynthesized by bacteria, fungi, lichen, plants, marine organisms of all types, insects, and higher animals including humans. These compounds are also formed abiogenically, as in volcanoes, forest fires, and other geothermal events.In some instances, natural organohalogens are precisely the same chemicals that man synthesizes for industrial use, and some of the quantities of these natural chemicals far exceed the quantities emitted by man.

The present volume is the third in a trilogy that documents naturally occurring organohalogen compounds, bringing the total number — from fewer than 25 in 1968 — to approximately 8,000 compounds to date. Nearly all of these natural products contain chlorine or bromine, with a few containing iodine and, fewer still, fluorine. Produced by ubiquitous marine (algae, sponges, corals, bryozoa, nudibranchs, fungi, bacteria) and terrestrial organisms (plants, fungi, bacteria, insects, higher animals) and universal abiotic processes (volcanos, forest fires, geothermal events), organohalogens pervade the global ecosystem. Newly identified extraterrestrial sources are also documented. In addition to chemical structures, biological activity, biohalogenation, biodegradation, natural function, and future outlook are presented.

This book summarizes the state-of-the-art knowledge on naturally occurring organohalogens, of which more than 3700 are documented. The chapters cover all aspects of this field, including the structural diversity and sources of organohalogens, the mechanisms for their formation and biodegradation, the clinical use of dichloroacetate, and the synthesis of the powerful anticancer chlorine-containing cryptophycin. Both biogenic and abiogenic sources of organohalogens are treated, the latter of which include volcanic emissions and abiogenic formation in soil. Halogenation in humans, fungi, and in the ocean are covered in separate chapters. Sources and biosynthesis of the relatively rare natural organofluorines are also discussed in this volume. By better understanding of the role nature plays in the area of organohalogens, we can more intelligently regulate the production, use, and disposal of man-made organohalogen compounds.

Should the production and use of chlorine and all chlorinated organic compounds be halted, in view of their adverse effects on the environment and human health? Those in favour argue that certain chlorinated compounds (PCBs, DDT, CFCs, etc.) have large negative environmental effects. The use of chlorine in disinfectants leads to the production of chloroform, while bulk products (PVC) contribute to the production of chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans when they are burned. Those against argue that chlorine and many chlorinated compounds are essential in the control of human health (the prevention of disease transmitted through drinking water that has not been disinfected), and that chlorinated compounds are indispensable intermediates in many production processes, representing a vast economic value. But such discussions often ignore the fact that Nature contributes significantly to the production of chlorinated organic compounds. More than 1000 such compounds are known, and their contribution to the biogeochemical cycling of chlorine is underestimated. Chlorine is organically bound in large quantities to humic materials, and natural production mechanisms are known for low molecular weight compounds (methyl chloride, chloroform, chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans). The role of these compounds in the environment is largely unknown. Naturally-Produced Organohalogens gives a complete overview of the present state of knowledge on the subject, giving a much needed balance to the argument sketched out above.

This book summarizes the current state of knowledge concerning bacteria that use halogenated organic compounds as respiratory electron acceptors. The discovery of organohalide-respiring bacteria has expanded the range of electron acceptors used for energy conservation, and serves as a prime example of how scientific discoveries are enabling innovative engineering solutions that have transformed remediation practice. Individual chapters provide in-depth background information on the discovery, isolation, phylogeny, biochemistry, genomic features, and ecology of individual organohalide-respiring genera, including Dehalococcoides, Dehalogenimonas, Dehalobacter, Desulfitobacterium and Sulfurospirillum, as well as organohalide-respiring members of the Deltaproteobacteria. The book introduces readers to the fascinating biology of organohalide-respiring bacteria, offering a valuable resource for students, engineers and practitioners alike.

This handbook provides essential information on toxicology, risk assessment, analysis, monitoring, human and ecological effects, treatment alternatives, ecosystem health, compliance, and much more.

The objective of this ASI was to bring together specialists in several complex variables (many of whom have contributed to complex potential theory) and specialists in potential theory (all of whom have contributed to several complex variables) together with young researchers and graduate students for an interchange of ideas and techniques. Not only was the status of current research presented, but also the relevant background, much of which is not yet available in books. The following topics and interconnections among them were discussed: 1. Real and Complex Potential Theory. Capacity and approximation, basic prop erties of plurisubharmonic functions and methods to manipulate their singularities and study their growth, Green functions, Chebyshev-type quadratures, electrostatic fields and potentials, propagation of smallness. 2. Complex Dynamics. Review of complex dynamics in one variable, Julia sets, Fatou sets, background in several variables, Henon maps, ergodicity, use of potential theory and multifunctions. 3. Banach Algebras and Infinite Dimensional Holomorphy. Analytic multi functions, spectral theory, analytic functions on a Banach space, semigroups of holomor phic isometries, Pick interpolation on uniform algebras and Von Neumann inequalities for operators on a Hilbert space. The basic notion of complex potential theory is that of a plurisubharmonic function.

This volume, written by a range of international experts, covers a wide range of topics involving organic fluorine compounds. Each chapter is preceded by a summary and includes extensive illustrations and references. The chapters cover atmospheric chemistry, application of 19F NMR, partition, degradation and transformation, naturally occurring organic fluorine compounds, toxicology of perfluoroalkanes and phosphorofluoridates, and application of aromatic compounds to the elucidation of the mechanism of cytochrome P450.