Solubilities of 17 polar organic compounds in aqueous solutions of Na2SO4, NaCl, NaClO4, and NaSCN at the salt concentrations of up to 1.0-2.0 M were determined and the Setschenow constant, ksalt, values were estimated. It was found that NaClO4 may display both salting-in and salting-out effects depending on the particular compound structure. The Setschenow constant values for all the polar compounds examined in different salt solutions are found to be interrelated. Similar relationships were observed for partition coefficients of nonionic organic compounds in aqueous polyethylene glycol-sodium sulfate two-phase systems in the presence of different salt additives reported previously [Ferreira et al., J. Chromatogr. A, 2011, 1218, 5031], and for the effects of different salts on optical rotation of amino acids reported by Rossi et al. [J. Phys. Chem. B, 2007, 111, 10510]. In order to explain the observed relationships it is suggested that all the effects observed originate as responses of the compounds to the presence of a given ionic environment and its interaction with the compounds by forming direct or solvent-separated ionic pairs. The response is compound-specific and its strength is determined by the compound structure and the type (and concentration) of ions inducing the response.

Kinetic solubility measurements using prototypical assay buffer conditions are presented for a ~58,000 member library of small molecules. Analyses of the data based upon physical and calculated properties of each individual molecule were performed and resulting trends were considered in the context of commonly held opinions of how physicochemical properties influence aqueous solubility. We further analyze the data using a decision tree model for solubility prediction and via a multi-dimensional assessment of physicochemical relationships to solubility in the context of specific ‘rule-breakers’ relative to common dogma. The role of solubility as a determinant of assay outcome is also considered based upon each compound’s cross-assay activity score for a collection of publicly available screening results. Further, the role of solubility as a governing factor for colloidal aggregation formation within a specified assay setting is examined and considered as a possible cause of a high cross-assay activity score. The results of this solubility profile should aid chemists during library design and optimization efforts and represents a useful training set for computational solubility prediction.

Solubility is the dose‐limiting property for in vitro studies, and therefore is a critical physicochemical property to measure in drug discovery. Solubility data can be used to guide lead optimization, troubleshoot erratic bioassay results, and identify potential downstream liabilities such as insufficient solubility for bioassays or oral bioavailability. Typically, early in vitro studies are performed using library compounds prepared as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) stock solutions, resulting in in vitro test solutions containing DMSO at low concentration (<5% v/v). Since DMSO can affect the apparent solubility, it is desirable to obtain solubility data under conditions mimicking the in vitro study. Kinetic solubility (from DMSO stock solutions) is often preferred over thermodynamic solubility (from dry powder) in early drug discovery. The protocols in this article describe a general procedure for assessing kinetic aqueous solubility of early drug discovery compounds using a miniaturized shake flask method with chemiluminescent nitrogen detection (CLND). Curr. Protoc. Chem. Biol. 5:269‐280 © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Distribution of 29 drug compounds was examined in octanol-buffer systems of eight different ionic compositions at pH 7.4. It was found that the ionic composition of the octanol-buffer system has a noticeable and unpredictable effect on the logD 7.4 values for different compounds. It is established that the response of compounds to different ionic environments displayed as logD 7.4 values are linearly interrelated similarly to different properties of compounds in the organic solvent-free aqueous solutions reported previously [Ferreira et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2014, 16, 23347]. Analysis of the role of different structural features of compounds examined in their ionic responsiveness showed that molecular polarizability and polar surface area are the two most important features. It is suggested that the relationships reported here and previously are based on the same physical principles that must be taken into account in any theoretical model of solute-water interactions in aqueous solutions containing salt additives.