Investigations of (acid + base) equilibria in systems modelling interactions occurring in biomolecules

Abstract By using the potentiometric microtitration method, acidity constants, K a , anionic, K AHA - , and cationic, K BHB + , homoconjugation constants, as well as molecular heteroconjugation, K BHA , constants have been determined in (acid + base) systems formed by the following compounds: acetic acid, phenol, n -butylamine, imidazole, and 4(5)-methylimidazole. These compounds constitute fragments of the side chains of amino acids capable of proton exchange in active sites of enzymes. The (acid + base) equilibria were studied in five polar solvents of different properties, namely in aprotic protophobic acetonitrile, acetone and propylene carbonate, in aprotic protophilic dimethyl sulfoxide and in amphiprotic methanol. The lowest values of the acidity constants of the molecular and cationic acids have been found in aprotic protophobic polar solvents – acetonitrile, propylene carbonate and acetone. Their acid strength have been found to depend on solvent basicity expressed as donor numbers, DN. These media, in particular acetonitrile and acetone, are also favourable for establishing molecular homo- and heteroconjugation equilibria. The most stable homocomplexes are formed in the case of acetic acid ( K AHA - values range from 2.26 to 3.56 in these media, being more than an order of magnitude higher than those for the remaining compounds). The magnitudes of lg  K BHA reveal that the most stable heterocomplexes are formed by n -butylamine and acetic acid that are characterized by the smallest differences in p K a values.