Structure-toxicity relationships of selected nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds.

A series of eleven nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, which may be potentially associated with aqueous effluents from coal conversion technologies, were examined to determine the relationships between their n-octanol/H2O partition coefficients, molecular weights, boiling points, and their toxicity monitored as reproduction impairment to Tetrahymena pyriformis. Toxicity increases linearly with increased partition coefficient, molecular weight, and boiling point. All of these parameters increase with increased alkyl and ring addition.