Unexpected effect of halogenation on the water solubility of small organic compoundsShow others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: Computers in Biology and Medicine, ISSN 0010-4825, E-ISSN 1879-0534, Vol. 172, no 1, article id 108209Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Halogenation is an indispensable method in the structural modification of lead compounds. It is known to increase lipophilicity and is hence used to improve membrane permeability and thus bioavailability. In this study, we compare the water solubility (logS) of organohalogen compounds and their non-halogenated parent compounds using the molecular matched pair (MMP) analysis method. Unexpectedly, 19.9% of the compounds increased their water solubility upon halogenation. Iodination was observed to have the greatest effect on solubility, followed by chlorination, bromination, and fluorination. Introducing amino, hydroxyl and carboxyl groups into organohalogens improves their aqueous solubilities, whereas introducing a trifluoromethyl group has the opposite effect. According to our quantum chemical calculations, the increased water solubility upon halogenation is, at least partially, attributed to an increased polarity and polarizability. These results improve our understanding of the influence of halogenation on bioactivity.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2024. Vol. 172, no 1, article id 108209
Keywords [en]
Organohalogen solubility, Molecular matched pairs, logS, Functional groups
National Category
Organic Chemistry Theoretical Chemistry
Research subject
Chemistry
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-571854DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108209Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85186957507OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-571854DiVA, id: diva2:2015367
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2020–034312025-11-202025-11-202026-06-29Bibliographically approved