Molecular orbital calculations on the P—S bond cleavage step in the hydroperoxidolysis of nerve agent VX

Abstract

The P-S bond cleavage process in the hydroperoxidolysis of a model system for the nerve agent VX was studied using ab initio and semiempirical molecular orbital methods. Aqueous solvation effects were included through single-point calculations using the semiempirical SM5.2PD/A continuum solvation model and geometries optimized at the HF/MIDI! level of theory. The predominant pathway for P-S bond cleavage involves pseudorotation of a low-energy trigonal bipyramidal intermediate followed by apical ligand ejection. In aqueous solution, the free energy barriers for these processes are found to be 14.3 and 4.6 kcal mol À1 , respectively, with electronic energies calculated at the MP2/cc-pVDZ//HF/MIDI! level of theory. By comparison with another continuum model of solvation (PCM), it is concluded that the SM5.2PD/A model performs well even for hypervalent phosphorus species, in spite of not having included any such molecules in the model's parameterization set.