Biosynthesis of Nitro Compounds

Green nitro. While many nitrated natural products from a variety of sources have been isolated, their biosynthetic origin is less well understood. Two routes can lead to these highly energetic natural products: biological aryl nitration and highly selective enzymatic N-oxidation. Despite the numerous nitrated natural products, only a few of the enzymes involved in nitro group formation have been identified, and only recently have mechanistic studies provided insight into these reactions.