Analysis of kinetic behavior of isomeric Z-amidoximes and their Z-ions in reactions with 4-nitrophenyl-4-toluenesulfonate, diethylphosphate, and diethylphosphonate was performed in the framework of Bro \ nsted relationship. The reactivity of amidoximate anions with respect to the mentioned substrates is comparable to that of typical a-nucleophiles, oximate ions. The a-effect decreased with the growing basicity of amidoximate ions, and for compounds with pK a >12.0 it was totally lacking. The high nucleophilic activity of neutral amidoximes and their anionic forms was ascribed to the cyclic structure of the transition state involving two kinds of assistance: general acidic, and basic catalysis. A unique feature of amidoximes as a-nucleophiles consists in their ability to perform efficient cleavage of ecotoxic substrates in a wide pH range, from basic to acid media.Hydroxylamine oximes, amidoximes, and hydroxamic acids [19] occupy a special place in the series of typical a-nucleophiles for just among them efficient reactivators of cholinesterase has been found that are still required and whose preparation is attempted up till now [2,3,9]. The main attention nowadays in this field of research is attracted by the nature of the factors providing the abnormally high reactivity of a-nucleophiles [28]. Nonetheless, the O-nucleophilic characteristics of amidoximes in acyl transfer reactions were not subjected to detailed kinetic investigation. Amidoximes are oxime derivatives, but both their neutral and anionic form operate as acyl group acceptor [1014]. The kinetic behavior of amidoximes resembles in this respect rather that of hydroxylamine which also is capable to react with an acylating agent in neutral and anionic form [15,16] and is a unique a-nucleophile ensuring high reaction rates in basic, neutral, and acidic media. The hydroxylamine anion is a leader with respect to the O-nucleophilic reactivity in the series of known classes of the a-nucleophiles [15]. Aiming at development of systems for cleavage of ecotoxic substrates [9, 17] we measured in this study the reaction rates between the neutral and anionic forms of amidoximes and 4-nitrophenyl esters of 4-toluenesulfonic (I), diethylphosphoric (II), and diethylphosphonic (III) acids,* estimated the a-effect value, revealed the factors controlling the O-nucleophilic features of the amidoximes, and the place these a-nucleophiles occupy among the known supernucleophiles. 2 0H 6 2 12 2 , (W2 2 (W 2 3 3 (W2 2 12 (W2 2 ,, ,,,Isomerism and acid-base properties of amidoximes. The reactivity of typical a-nucleophiles, oximate ions, depends on the definite configuration (Z-or E-) that they take in the reaction with the acylating agents. As an example a Bro \ nsted relationship may be cited for reactions of substituted benzaldoximate ions with 4-nitrophenyl acetate (IV) and thioacetate: the E-isomers of * Esters II and III known under the names paraoxone and armin are typical cholinesterase inhibitors, belong to the class of stable ecotoxic substrates, and are only a little...