Density functional theory analysis of dimethylphosphate hydrolysis: effect of solvation and nucleophile variation

We model the hydrolytic cleavage of dimethylphosphate by hydroxide ion and water in the gas phase and in implicit water using density functional theory. In all cases the rate-determining step is the nucleophilic attack. The barrier for this nucleophilic attack in vacuum is much larger for the hydroxide than for the neutral nucleophile. However, in water the barriers are similar. The rate-determining step in the attack by the neutral nucleophile involves the concerted transfer of a proton from the water molecule to the phosphate ion and the formation of the P-O bond.