Methyl fluoroacetate is a methyl ester of fluoroacetic acid.
MFA is a liquid, which is odorless or can have a faint, fruity smell. The boiling point of MFA is 104.5 °C and the melting point is −35.0 °C. It is soluble in water (117 g/L at 25 °C) and slightly soluble in petroleum ether.
MFA is resistant to the displacement of fluorine by nucleophiles, so there is higher stability of the  bond compared to the other halogens (, , ). The other haloacetates are more powerful alkylating agents that react with  group of proteins. This, however, does not happen for MFA and gives it a unique toxic action. Moreover, MFA is a derivative of fluoroacetate (FA) compound which is as toxic and has similar biotransformation to MFA.