Water Depletion Enhanced by Halogenation of Benzene

The pressure dependence of the solubility of hydrophobic solutes in aqueous solutions is equivalent to volume changes upon hydrophobic hydration. This phenomenon has been attributed to the packing effects induced by the van der Waals volume difference between the solute and water. However, the volume changes may also be related to the chemical properties of the solute. In this study, we investigated hydrophobic hydration using a series of halogenated benzenes. Solution density measurements revealed negative volume changes for benzene, fluorobenzene, and chlorobenzene, whereas those for bromobenzene and iodobenzene were positive. Subsequent volumetric analyses demonstrated that the relationship between the excess particle number for hydration water and the van der Waals volume for bromobenzene and iodobenzene significantly deviated from the universal line for hydrophobic solutes. This behavior suggests that the volume changes are due to factors other than the packing effect with bromo and iodine functional groups acting as modulators of the hydration structure, resulting in enhanced water depletion.

Automated summary

The study found that the volume changes during hydrophobic hydration of bromobenzene and iodobenzene, as opposed to other hydrophobic solutes, are likely due to the bromine and iodine functional groups acting as modulators of the hydration structure, resulting in water depletion.