Interplay of self-association and solvation in polar liquids

The association constants for formation a 1:1 complex between 4-phenyl azophenol and tri-n-butylphosphine oxide were measured in mixtures of n-octane and n-decanol, n-octane and n-hexanoic acid, and n-octane and 2-ethylhexyl acetamide. The experiments provide insight into the competition between solvent self-association and solvent-solute interactions in these systems. The solvation properties of the three polar solvents are quite different from one another and from polar solvents that do not self-associate. Carboxylic acids form dimers in concentrated solution (>1 mM in alkanes). Carboxylic acid dimers have exposed H-bond acceptor sites that solvate H-bond donor solutes with a similar binding affinity to carboxylic acid monomers. The carboxylic acid H-bond donor site is inaccessible in the dimer and is not available to solvate H-bond acceptor solutes. The result is that solvation of H-bond acceptor solutes is in competition with solvent dimerization, whereas solvation of H-bond donor solutes is not. Secondary amides form linear polymers in concentrated solution (>10 mM in alkanes). The solvation properties of the secondary amide aggregates are similar to those of carboxylic acid dimers. Solvation of H-bond acceptor solutes must compete with solvent self-association, because the amide H-bond donor site is not accessible in the middle of a polymeric aggregate. However, the amide aggregates have exposed H-bond acceptor sites, which solvate H-bond donor solutes with similar binding affinity to amide monomers. Alcohols form cyclic tetramers at concentrations of 100 mM in alkanes, and these cyclic aggregates are in equilibrium with linear polymeric aggregates at concentrations above 1 M. The alcohol aggregates have exposed H-bond acceptor sites that solvate H-bond donor solutes with similar binding affinity to alcohol monomers. Although the alcohol H-bond donor sites are involved in H-bond interactions with other alcohols in the aggregates, these sites are sufficiently exposed to form a second bifurcated H-bond with H-bond acceptor solutes, and these interactions have a similar binding affinity to alcohol monomers. The result is that self-association of alcohols does not compete with solvation of solutes, and alcohols are significantly more polar solvents than expected based on the properties of alcohol monomers.