The kinetics of the La3+-catalyzed methanolysis of a series of S-aryl methylphosphonothioates (4a-e, phenyl substituents = 3,5-dichloro, 4-chloro, 4-fluoro, 4-H, 4-methoxy) were studied at 25 °C with ss pH control. The reaction involves saturation binding of the anionic substrates to dimeric La3+/methoxide catalysts formulated as La2 3+(-OCH3)x, where x = 2-5 depending on the solution ss pH. Cleavage of the La3+-bound methylphosphonothioates is fast, ranging from 5 × 10-3 s -1 to 5.5 × 10-5 s-1 for substrates 4a-e at a ss pH of 8.4 and 1.6 × 10-1 s-1 to 4 × 10-3s-1 at a ss pH of 11.7. The rate accelerations for the methanolysis of substrates 4a-e, relative to their background methoxide-promoted reactions, average 7 × 1010 and 1.5 × 109, respectively, at sspH's of 8.4 and 11.7. The catalytic system is predicted to cleave EA 2192 (S-2(N,N-di-iso-propylaminoethyl) methylphosphonothioate), a toxic byproduct of the hydrolysis of VX, with a t1/2 between 4 and 8 min at a ss pH of 8.4, and 27 min at a ss pH of 11.7. © 2011 American Chemical Society.