Dissolution thermodynamics and preferential solvation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene in (ethanol + water) mixtures

Abstract In this research, the equilibrium mole fraction solubility of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) in some aqueous-ethanolic mixtures was determined at seven temperatures from (293.15 to 323.15) K. The respective apparent thermodynamic functions (Gibbs energy, enthalpy, and entropy of the dissolution processes) were computed using the van't Hoff and Gibbs equations. The enthalpy-entropy relationship for 2,4-DNT was non-linear in the plot of enthalpy vs. Gibbs energy of solution with negative slope in the composition region 0.00 ≤ w1 ≤ 0.40 but positive slope in the region 0.40 ≤ w1 ≤ 1.00. Therefore, the driving mechanism for 2,4-DNT transfer processes is the entropy in water-rich mixtures and the enthalpy in ethanol-rich mixtures. In addition, by means of the inverse Kirkwood-Buff integrals is observed that 2,4-DNT is preferentially solvated by water molecules in water-rich mixtures but preferentially solvated by ethanol molecules in the mixtures of 0.23 ≤ x1 ≤ 1.00.