A model for the interaction between hydrophilic and hydrophobic solutes - aqueous solutions containing biuret or urea and hydroxylated substances

Enthalpies of dilution of ternary aqueous solutions containing biuret or urea and alkan-1-ols, alkan-l,2-diols and alkan-l,2,3-triols have been determined at 298.15 K by means of a flow microcalorimeter. The cross pairwise coefficients of the virial expansion of the excess enthalpies were determined. These coefficients are positive and depend in a complex manner on the length of the alkyl chain of the alkanols. The behaviour of these systems was interpreted in terms of preferential interactions between hydrophilic groups and of repulsive interactions between hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups. © 1992