Polarizability-1 -octanol-water partition coefficient relationships

The fundamental idea of QSAR consists of the possibility of a relationship between a set of descriptors, which are derived from molecular structure, and a molecular response. Within this scope, several molecular descriptors, which discretely parameterize a given molecular set, have been devised. From the early work of Cross [1], where a relationship between toxicity and water solubility was observed, several other parameters have been proposed, such as Hammett s sigma [5], which accounts for electronic effects due to molecular backbone substitution, or the octanol/water partition coefficient [6], widely used to describe lipophilicity. Later on, other frameworks have been formulated in order to include molecular shape, size, polarizability, and many other structural features, also based on the three-dimensional molecular character. A number of reviews have been published [7-9], concerning the historical development, descriptor generation, and their application into the QSAR field. 

Three major approaches to the prediction of aqueous solubility of organic chemicals using Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) techniques arc reviewed. The rationale behind six QSAR models derived from these three approaches, and the quality of their fit to the experimental data are summarized. Their utility and predictive ability are examined and compared on a common basis. Three of the models employed octanol-water partition coefficient as the primary descriptor, while two others used the solvatochromic parameters. The sixth model utilized a combination of connectivity indexes and a modified polarizability parameter. Considering the case of usage, predictive ability, and the range of applicability, the model derived from the connectivity- polarizability approach appears to have greater utility value. 

Comparison of Parameters Used in Structure-Activity Studies -Leo et al. reported a comparison of parameters currently used in studies of structure-activity relationships. The activities of a variety of molecular types, as measured in four different biological systems, were correlated with octanol/ water partition coefficients, polarizabilities, molar attraction constants, parachors, adjusted parachors, and molecular weights. In the systems investigated the octanol/water partition coefficient was found to correlate best with biological activity while adjusted parachor and molar attraction constant gave the next best correlations. ... 

The alternatives to mathematical descriptors derived from molecular graphs or molecular geometry are the traditional QSAR (quantitative structure-activity relationship) descriptors and quantum chemically computed parameters. The former include the partition coefficient for oil/water (often octanol/water) (log P), the Hammet sigma value (electronic parameter that measures the electron withdrawal from and the electron release to the aromatic ring by a substituent, the Taft s parameters for the electronic effects of substituents in aliphatic compounds (a ), and a steric parameter for the proximity of substituents on reaction sites (Es)- Also selected molecular properties, such as molar refractivity (MR), polarizability (a), molecular weight (MW), and density (d), have been used. 

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