The size of hydroxyl groups in solution and the changes in size associated with the ionization of phenolic, carboxylic and amino groups in phenolic quaternary ammonium salts, nicotine and some amino acids: possible implications for drug-water and drug-receptor interactions.

Size in solution can be expressed either as the apparent molal volume at infinite dilution (phi 0v) amd the concentration parameter (j) or as the partial molal volume of the solute at infinite dilution (V0(2)) and the concentration parameter for the solute or solvent (qs or qw). Although calculated differently, these are derived from the same results and are equivalent. From measurement with phenolic quaternary ammonium salts, including compounds with high nicotine-like activity, the apparent size of the hydroxyl group in water is small and variable. Phenolic groups are slightly larger than alcoholic groups, which should be better hydrogen donors. By measuring the volume change associated with ionisation it is possible to measure the size of charged groups such as phenate and carboxylate; these are much smaller than phenolic and carboxyl. Ammonium groups, however, are only slightly smaller than the corresponding amines. The zwitterion forms of amino acids are associated with a minimum in volume but the volume changes increase with chain length from glycine to gamma-aminobutyric acid. Groups separated by less than this distance interact in their effects on water. Decreases in volume or unexpectedly small increments in apparent molal volume represent decreases in entropy which must be taken into account in drug-water-receptor interactions. Although they may be offset by enthalpy changes, they should favour binding because there is more scope for an increase in entropy. This might explain the association of the small apparent size in water of the hydroxyl group in many compounds with its effects of their affinity for receptors.