Solubility and preferential solvation of phenacetin in methanol + water mixtures at 298.15 K

The mole fraction solubility of phenacetin (PNC) in methanol + water binary solvent mixtures at 298.15 K was determined along with density of the saturated solutions. All these solubility values were correlated with the Jouyban–Acree model. Preferential solvation parameters of PNC by methanol (δx1,3) were derived from their thermodynamic solution properties using the inverse Kirkwood–Buff integrals (IKBI) method. δx1,3 values are negative in water-rich mixtures but positive in methanol mole fraction of >0.32. It is conjecturable that in the former case the hydrophobic hydration around non-polar groups of PNC plays a relevant role in the solvation. The higher solvation by methanol in mixtures of similar cosolvent compositions and methanol-rich mixtures could be explained in terms of the higher basic behaviour of methanol.