Effect of cations in the hydrolysis of phosphate esters
Abstract
The rates of the acid-catalysed hydrolysis of diethyl 2-pyridyl phosphate and of the base-promoted hydrolysis of N-methyl-8-(dimethylphosphoryloxy)quinolinium ion have been determined in the presence of different cations as buffer components. For both substrates the rate depends on the nature of the cations, indicating the participation of a substrate–cation complex in the reaction.