Chemistry of the biosynthesis of halogenated methanes: C1-organohalogens as pre-industrial chemical stressors in the environment?

We have chemical evidence that in the biosynthesis of the halomethanes C1H4−nXn (n=1−4) three different pathways of biogenic formation have to be distinguished. The formation of methyl chloride, methyl bromide, and methyl iodide, respectively, has to be considered as a methylation of the respective halide ions. The dihalo- and trihalomethanes are formed via the haloform and/or via the sulfo-haloform reaction. The possible formation of tetrahalomethanes may involve a radical mechanism. Methionine methyl sulfonium chloride used as substrate in the incubation together with chloroperoxidase (CPO) and H2O2 gave high yields of monohalomethanes only. We were able to show that next to the CPO/H2O2 driven haloform reaction of carbonyl activated methyl groups also methyl-sulphur compounds — e.g. dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylsulfone, and the sulphur amino acid methionine — can act as precursors for the biosynthesis of di- and trihalogenated methanes. Moreover, there is some but not yet very conclusive evidence for an enzymatic production of tetrahalogenated methanes. In our experiments with chloroperoxidase involving amino acids and complex natural peptide based substrates, dihalogenated acetonitriles and several other volatile halogenated but yet unidentified compounds were formed. On the basis of these experiments we like to suggest that biosynthesis of halogenated nitriles occurs in general and therefore a natural atmospheric background should exist for halogenated acetonitriles and halogenated acetaldehydes, respectively.