Water and Solubility

Dr. Kamer KILIN

WATER: Structure and Properties

Water constitutes 45%-75% of total human body weight. It is distributed in intracellular (55%) and extracellular (45%) components.
As the biological solvent water plays a major role in all aspects metabolism: absorption, transport, digestion, and excretion of organic and inorganic substances. A fluid environment allows molecular mobility, and water, the most abundant fluid on earth is admirably suited to this purpose

..O . .. .
104.5o

Polarity in Molecules
qq-

O
q+ H q+ H

Dipole moment of some molecules

Dipole moment

Carbon Dioxide P-Dichlorobenzene Carbon monoxide Water O-Dichlorobenzene

Cl

O=C=O
Cl

0 0 0.12 1.83

O
H
H
Cl Cl

2.59

Glycine

NH3+-CH2-COO-

16.7

NON-COVALENT INTERACTIONS-1
1. Charge-Charge

+
q+ q-

+
q+ q-

-NH3+ H 2O 1/r2 H2O

-OOC-

1/r

2. Charge-Dipole

+H

3N-

3. Dipole-Dipole
4.Charge-Induced dipole 5.Dipole-Induced dipole

q+ q -

H 2O

1/r3

q+ q-

+
q+ q-

-NH3+

1/r4 1/r5

q+

q-

H 2O

NON-COVALENT INTERACTIONS-2
q+ qqq+

6. Dispersion

1/r6

7. Van der Waals interactions:

a. Attraction b. Repulsion 1/r12

8. Hydrogen bonds
qAcceptor q+ donor C=O H-N

Hidrogen Bond Formation

Donor

Acceptor

Hydrogen Bonding in Water .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Some Properties of Water

Compound MW Melting point Boiling point

CH4 NH3 H2O H2S

16.04 17.03 18.02 34.08

-182 -178 0 -86

-164 -33 +100 -61

Hydrogen Bondings in Biomolecules

Donor Acceptor
O H

Bond length
0.28 + 0.01
Water-water

- O-H

- O-H
N-H
N-H

O=C
O H

0.28 + 0.01
0.29 + 0.01 0.29 + 0.01
Proteins, Nucleic acids Water-organic molecules

O=C N S

N-H
N-H

0.31 + 0.01

0.37

Water as a Solvent
*The processes of life require solubilization of large numbers of ions, large and small molecules. *Since water is a dipolar molecule and has a high tendency to form hydrogen bonds, it is an excellent solvent for intracellular and extracellular medium. *Any molecules that carry groups capable of forming hydrogen bonds can be dissolved in water. Therefore water dissolves hydroxylic compounds, amines, sulfhydryl compounds, esters and ketones. *Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons and many of their derivatives, which cannot form hydrogen bonds, are not water soluble.

Water as a Solvent
But it is not only hydrogen bond acceptors or donors that dissolve well in water. In contrast to most organic liquids, water is an excellent solvent for ionic compounds. Substances like NaCl are very stable. They readily dissolve in water. This is caused by dipolar nature of water. Dipoles interact with ions, so cations and anions in aqueous solution are hydrated. They are surrounded by shells of water molecules, called hydration shells. High solubility of NaCl is caused by two factors: First, the formation of hydration shells is energetically and thermodynamically favorable. Secondly, high dielectric constant of water decreases the charge-charge interaction between Na and Cl ions. Substances that are readily dissolved in water are hydrophilic or water-loving substances.

.. ..
Na+

Cl-

.. ..
Cl-

Na+

Water as a Solvent
Nonpolar and nonionic compound does not dissolve in water. Substances like aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, therefore, are called hydrophobic or water-fearing compounds. A most interesting and important class of molecules are the ones that exhibit both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties simultaneously. Such amphipathic compounds have a hydrophilic or polar head group and a hydrophobic tail usually a hydrocarbon. When one attempts to dissolve them in water, such compounds form peculiar structures. They form a monolayer on the water surface, with only the head groups immersed. If the mixture is vigorously stirred, micelles (spherical structures formed by a single layer of molecules) or bilayer vesicles may form. In such cases the hydrocarbon tails lie in a roughly parallel array. In this structure they interact via Van der Waals forces and hydrophobic interactions. The polar or ionic heads are strongly hydrated. Most important to biochemistry is the fact that amphipathic molecules form the basis of the biological membrane.

Hydrophylic groups

WATER

Fatty acid

Detergent Phospholipid

WATER
Micelles
liposome