Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2025

Author Spotlight: Eco-Friendly Extraction of Bioactive Compounds Using Polyol-Based Microwave-Assisted Techniques
Published on: August 23, 2024
Solvent polarity and hydrophobicity of solutes are two sides of the same coin
Pedro P Madeira1, German Todorov2, Vladimir N Uversky3
1CICECO, Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
Abstract:
The hydrophobicity of solutes measures the intensity of a solute's interaction with aqueous environment. The aqueous environment may change with its composition, leading to changes in its solvent properties largely characterized by polarity. As a result, the relative hydrophobicity of a solute is a function of the solute structure and the properties of the water-based solvent determined by the total composition of the aqueous phase. This aspect is commonly ignored by medicinal chemists even though it is essential for drug distribution between different biological tissues. Partitioning of solutes in aqueous two-phase systems provides the relative hydrophobicity estimates for any water-soluble compounds that can be used to improve predictions of the toxicity and other biological effects of these compounds.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Entropy and Solvation
Solubility
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules,...
Solution Formation
This selective...
Molecular Shape and Polarity
Solvating Effects
Solvents
A...

