Enthalpies of solvation of alkylated uracils in water,nonaqueous and mixed solvents

The enthalpies of solution of uracil and its alkylated derivatives in water, methanol, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and water+DMF mixtures were measured at 25°C. The enthalpies of solvation were determined. The enthalpies of cavity formation, corresponding to the enthalpies of solvent-solvent interactions were calculated and the enthalpies of solute-solvent interactions were obtained. The presence of the alkyl groups was found to have different effects on the enthalpy of interaction depending on the position and size of the substitution. The effect of alkylation at the nonpolar side of the uracil ring was found to arise mostly from the enhancement of the van der Waals interactions. The alkyl substitutions at the polar side resulted also in the removal of the solvent molecules interacting specifically with the polar groups of uracil. The enthalpy of those specific interactions was determined and found to be stronger in methanol and DMF than in water. Enthalpies of solvation in the binary water+DMF solvent were found to depend in a nonlinear way on the solvent composition. The nonlinearities in the water-rich region were found to arise from the decay of the hydrophobic hydration of the solutes with the increasing DMF content. The substitution of two methyl groups caused the uracil molecule to bahave as a predominantly hydrophobic solute. The nonlinearities in the DMF-rich region were found only for those solutes which can form hydrogen bonds with DMF.