Organic fluorides[edit]
Biological role[edit]
Main article: Biological aspects of fluorine
The gifblaar is one of the few organofluorine-synthesizing organisms
Fluorine is not essential for humans or other mammals; small amounts may be beneficial for bone strength, but this has not been definitively established. As there are many environmental sources of trace fluorine, the possibility of a fluorine deficiency could apply only to artificial diets.[245][246] Natural organofluorines have been found in microorganisms and plants[64] but not animals.[247] The most common is fluoroacetate, which is used as a defense against herbivores by at least 40 plants in Africa, Australia and Brazil.[209] Other examples include terminally fluorinated fatty acids, fluoroacetone, and 2-fluorocitrate.[247] An enzyme that binds fluorine to carbon – adenosyl-fluoride synthase – was discovered in bacteria in 2002.[248]