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Nature 436, 1094-1095 (25 August 2005) | doi:10.1038/4361094a; Published online 24 August 2005

Biological chemistry:  Just add chlorine

Nathan A. Schnarr1 & Chaitan Khosla1

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Nature provides lessons about developing 'green chemistry' in seemingly out-of-the-way places. One such lesson comes from an enzymatic step in the production of a leaf toxin by a bacterium.

As they describe on page 1191 of this issue1, a group of researchers led by Christopher Walsh has identified how chlorine is attached enzymatically to an intermediate during the formation of a natural product. This is not surprising in itself — the significance lies in the unreactive nature of the carbon centre concerned.