Abstract Fluorochemicals are rare in Nature and fluoroaromatic compounds have not been described as natural products with respect to de novo formation of aryl-fluorine bonds. By contrast many synthetic fluoroaromatic compounds are substrates for several microbial enzymes, particularly oxygenases, and are transformed to previously undescribed fluorochemicals suitable for further modifications by other enzymes systems or by chemical means. These lead to interesting multi-functional molecules, monomers for novel chiral and achiral polymers, chiral intermediates and synthons for some heterocycles and α- amino acids. Wild-type and mutant microbial strains have been used to biotransform some fluoroaromatic compounds in near quantitative yields to novel fluorinated products, as well as other flourophenolics already known by chemical synthesis. Some of the microbial transformations of mono-, di-, tri- and tetrafluoroaromatic compounds are described, and the vast potential of further biotransformations is indicated.