title: The influence of hydrogen bonding on partition coefficients.
abstract: This Perspective explores how consideration of hydrogen bonding can be used to both predict and better understand partition coefficients. It is shown how polarity of both compounds and substructures can be estimated from measured alkane/water partition coefficients. When polarity is defined in this manner, hydrogen bond donors are typically less polar than hydrogen bond acceptors. Analysis of alkane/water partition coefficients in conjunction with molecular electrostatic potential calculations suggests that aromatic chloro substituents may be less lipophilic than is generally believed and that some of the effect of chloro-substitution stems from making the aromatic π-cloud less available to hydrogen bond donors. Relationships between polarity and calculated hydrogen bond basicity are derived for aromatic nitrogen and carbonyl oxygen. Aligned hydrogen bond acceptors appear to present special challenges for prediction of alkane/water partition coefficients and this may reflect 'frustration' of solvation resulting from overlapping hydration spheres. It is also shown how calculated hydrogen bond basicity can be used to model the effect of aromatic aza-substitution on octanol/water partition coefficients.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Química Medicinal - NEQUIMED, Instituto de Química de São Carlos - Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, São Carlos, SP, 13566-590, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nádia Melo
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Química Medicinal - NEQUIMED, Instituto de Química de São Carlos - Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, São Carlos, SP, 13566-590, Brazil. pwk.pub.2008@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Peter W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Kenny
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Química Medicinal - NEQUIMED, Instituto de Química de São Carlos - Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, São Carlos, SP, 13566-590, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Montanari
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Química Medicinal - NEQUIMED, Instituto de Química de São Carlos - Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, São Carlos, SP, 13566-590, Brazil.
authors.forename: Igor M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Prokopczyk
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Química Medicinal - NEQUIMED, Instituto de Química de São Carlos - Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, São Carlos, SP, 13566-590, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jean F R
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Química Medicinal - NEQUIMED, Instituto de Química de São Carlos - Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, São Carlos, SP, 13566-590, Brazil.
authors.forename: Josmar R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Química Medicinal - NEQUIMED, Instituto de Química de São Carlos - Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, São Carlos, SP, 13566-590, Brazil.
authors.forename: Geraldo Rodrigues
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Sartori
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D012995:Solubility; D055672:Static Electricity; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D014867:Water
keywords: Alkane/water; Hydrogen bonding; Lipophilicity; LogP; Molecular design; Octanol/water; Partition coefficient; Polarity; Property-based drug design