Kinetics of transesterification of the RNA model substrate 2-hydroxypropyl 4-nitrophenyl phosphate promoted by Mg(2+) and Ca(2+), the most common biological metals acting as cofactors for nuclease enzymes and ribozymes, as well as by Co(NH(3))(6)(3+), Co(en)(3)(3+), Li(+), and Na(+) cations, often employed as mechanistic probes, was studied in 80% v/v (50 mol %) aqueous DMSO, a medium that allows one to discriminate easily specific base (OH(-)-catalyzed) and general base (buffer-catalyzed) reaction paths. All cations assist the specific base reaction, but only Mg(2+) and Na(+) assist the general base reaction. For Mg(2+)-assisted reactions, the solvent deuterium isotope effects are 1.23 and 0.25 for general base and specific base mechanisms, respectively. Rate constants for Mg(2+)-assisted general base reactions measured with different bases fit the Brønsted correlation with a slope of 0.38, significantly lower than the slope for the unassisted general base reaction (0.77). Transition state binding constants for catalysts in the specific base reaction (K(‡)(OH)) both in aqueous DMSO and pure water correlate with their binding constants to 4-nitrophenyl phosphate dianion (K(NPP)) used as a minimalist transition state model. It was found that K(‡)(OH) ≈ K(NPP) for "protic" catalysts (Co(NH(3))(6)(3+), Co(en)(3)(3+), guanidinium), but K(‡)(OH) ≫ K(NPP) for Mg(2+) and Ca(2+) acting as Lewis acids. It appears from results of this study that Mg(2+) is unique in its ability to assist efficiently the general base-catalyzed transesterification often occurring in active sites of nuclease enzymes and ribozymes.