Abstract: | The preferential solvation parameters of methocarbamol in dioxane + water, ethanol + water, methanol + water and propylene glycol + water mixtures are derived from their thermodynamic properties by using the inverse Kirkwood–Buff integrals (IKBI) method. This drug is sensitive to solvation effects, being the preferential solvation parameter δx1,3, negative in water-rich and co-solvent-rich mixtures, but positive in mixtures with similar proportions of solvents, except in methanol + water mixtures, where positive values are found in all the methanol-rich mixtures. It is conjecturable that the hydrophobic hydration around the non-polar groups in water-rich mixtures plays a relevant role. Otherwise, in mixtures of similar solvent compositions, the drug is mainly solvated by co-solvent, probably due to the basic behaviour of the co-solvents; whereas, in co-solvent-rich mixtures, the preferential solvation by water could be due to the acidic behaviour of water. Nevertheless, the specific solute–solvent interactions present in the different binary systems remain unclear. |