Octanol-water partition coefficients of polychlorinated biphenyl congeners

Octanol-water partition coefficients (K{sub OW}) for 13 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were accurately determined by the generator column technique. These values were used to confirm a highly significant linear relationship between log K{sub OW} and the logarithm of the relative retention time on a nonselective gas chromatographic stationary phase. The total surface areas (TSA) for all the PCB congeners were determined by assuming planar molecules, van der Waal's radii for component atoms, and appropriate values for solvent radius, bond angles, and distances. The TSA was highly significantly correlated with log K{sub OW} and the relationship used to calculate log K{sub OW} values for all the PCB congeners. Further development of these relationships gave an expression for aqueous solubility which can be used to calculate the solubility for these PCB's where appropriate data are available.