Aqueous Phosphoester Bond Cleavage of Dimethyl Phosphate by Cp2MoCl2:  First Reported Case of Hydrolytic Cleavage on an Unactivated Phosphate Diester by an Organometallic Complex

The organometallic compound bis(η5-cyclopentadienyl) molybdenum(IV) dichloride (Cp2MoCl2, Cp = η5-C5H5) promotes the phosphotester bond cleavage of dimethyl phosphate with rate accelerations of 104 at pH 4.0. NMR spectral evidence suggests this phosphoester bond cleavage proceeds through a hydrolytic pathway where the aquated Cp2MoCl2 binds to the phosphate diester and then carries out an intramolecular attack with either a Cp2Mo-bound water or hydroxide. This is the first reported case of an organometallic complex that hydrolyzes an unactivated phosphate diester.