Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.119, No.21, 5241-5249, 2015
Study of the Stepwise Deprotonation Reactions of Glyphosate and the Corresponding pK(a) Values in Aqueous Solution
Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) (Gph) is a herbicide that is broadly used in several countries. Its application to eliminate weeds may have the undesired effect of diminishing the metallic cations found in the soil (e.g., Ni2+ and Zn2+), due to a complexation reaction that depends on the soil's pH. To better understand the molecular structures of glyphosate that are involved in such a complexation reaction, we have studied all possible glyphosate conformations in aqueous solution that may be involved in deprotonation reactions in the pH range from 2 to 11 using the polarizable continuum method (PCM). We have also compared direct (or absolute) methods to calculate pK(a) values, the cluster-continuum model and the proton-exchange scheme, using different thermodynamic cycles. The best result was achieved when using a proton-exchange scheme, which was able to properly reproduce three glyphosate experimental pK(a) values predicted for the glyphosate structures and conformations previously determined.