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Relationships of quantitative structure-activity for normal aliphatic alcohols.
T W Schultz1, L M Arnold, T S Wilke
1College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37901-1071.
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
|June 1, 1990
Summary
Toxicity of aliphatic alcohols was assessed using Tetrahymena pyriformis growth inhibition. Results showed a linear correlation between biological response (log BR) and the octanol/water partition coefficient (log Kow), aligning with fish mortality data.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Toxicology
- Ecotoxicology
- Aquatic Toxicology
Background:
- Aliphatic alcohols exhibit varying degrees of toxicity.
- Predicting aquatic toxicity is crucial for environmental risk assessment.
- Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR) are valuable tools in toxicology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the relative toxicity of 14 normal aliphatic alcohols.
- To establish a relationship between biological response and physicochemical properties.
- To compare toxicity data across different aquatic species and test systems.
Main Methods:
- Assessing 48-hr 50% population growth inhibition (log BR) of Tetrahymena pyriformis.
- Correlating log BR with the 1-octanol/water partition coefficient (log Kow).
- Comparing log BR with 96-hr 50% mortality data for Pimephales promelas.
Main Results:
- A linear relationship was observed between log BR and log Kow for the tested alcohols.
- Excellent agreement was found between Tetrahymena pyriformis growth inhibition and Pimephales promelas mortality data.
- Calculated steady-state biophase toxicant concentrations were relatively constant across alcohols.
- Chemical activity increased with hydrocarbon chain length, correlating well with narcosis models.
Conclusions:
- Tetrahymena pyriformis growth inhibition is a reliable indicator of aquatic alcohol toxicity.
- The octanol/water partition coefficient effectively predicts the toxicity of aliphatic alcohols.
- QSAR approaches, including chemical activity, provide consistent predictions for narcosis-based toxicity.