The hydrophobic effect in aqueous solutions of nonelectrolytes. I. Self-interactions of alkylureas

In order to clarify some aspects of the hydrophobic interactions, the enthalpies of dilution of monoethylurea, 1,3-dimethylurea, and 1,3-diethylurea have been determined calorimetrically at 25°C. The calorimetric data, expressed in terms of excess enthalpy, permit the evaluation of the pair and triplet interaction coefficients. The analyses of these and of the analogous coefficientsg _xx andg _xxx, derived from osmotic data, indicate a driving force favorable to the interactions among the hydrated solute molecules. Nevertheless, the positive values of theh _xx andh _xxx coefficients seem to suggest that the source of the effect is a rearrangement of the water molecules rather than a direct association of the solute molecules. There are evidences of a strict correlation between the enthalpic and the entropic effects. Preliminary data were presented at the International Conferences on Chemical Thermodynamics at Baden (1973) and Montpellier (1975). The experimental part was carried out at the Istituto Chimico of the University of Trieste. To whom correspondence should be addressed.