Effect of solutes structure and pH on the n-octanol/water partition coefficient of ionizable organic compounds

Liquid-liquid partition coefficient is a useful tool to predict biological and environmental fate of organic compounds, for example bioaccumulation or toxicity of lipophilic contaminants. Conversely, the partitioning of ionizable compounds is poorly studied in contrast to that of neutral compounds. Yet, such topic deserves attention, since numerous organic contaminants are ionizable as well as their degradation products. Hence, the contribution of charged species has to be considered in order to model accurately the mass balance or partition of ionizable compounds. In this context, we investigated the liquid-liquid partition of 13 ionizable compounds (oxalic acid, histidine, benzimidazole, etc.), covering various classes of compounds (carboxylic acids, amino-acids, etc.). The n-octanol/water partition coefficient was measured from pH 1 up to 13, in order to fully gather the distribution of both neutral and charged species. Empirical models describing these results are reviewed and partition parameters adjusted for charged species. The study of benzoic acid derivatives (benzoic, salicylic, ortho- and iso-phthalic acids) provides insights on the influence of chemical groups on the partitioning. In the case of tryptophan, the use of acid/base microconstants allowed to estimate the partition of both the zwitterion and its neutral tautomer. Despite a major zwitterionic form (log PZ(tryptophan) = −1.58 ± 0.30), the minor but neutral tautomer (log PN(tryptophan) = +0.03 ± 0.30) drives the partition equilibrium. Overall, the provided data may be useful to assess the retention of contaminants, its dependency on pH and salinity variations, and thus understanding their environmental fate. Such data may also be useful as well for molecular simulation involving solvation of organic ions in aqueous and non-aqueous solvents. [Display omitted] •Octanol-water partition quantified for various ionizable organic compounds and pH.•Moderate hydrophilicity, −3 > log PIOW > 0, measured for ionized organic species.•PI data useful to interpret the environmental behavior of ionized compounds.•Partition of benzoate derivatives linked to cyclic intramolecular H-bonding.•Partition of zwitterions eventually driven by neutral tautomers.