partition coefficient
Quick Summary
The partition coefficient is a measure of a substance's solubility in organic solvents compared to water. This property is crucial in biology, particularly concerning how substances cross cell membranes.
A higher partition coefficient indicates greater solubility in organic solvents, which generally correlates with higher permeability across the lipid bilayer of cell membranes. This means substances that dissolve more readily in fatty environments can pass through cell membranes more easily. Conversely, substances with low partition coefficients, like water-soluble molecules, permeate membranes more slowly unless they are very small. This principle is utilized in designing drugs, such as chemotherapeutics, to effectively target cells.1
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