The highest level of confidence can be placed in calculated log P values when (1) the log P of a parent solute is known, (2) pi constants for the required substituent(s) are available, and (3) the substituents either do not have an effect on groups already present in the parent or else this effect has been previously determined. In some instances there are no values available for any related structures which could serve as a parent; then, rather than substitute groups for hydrogen, it is easier to begin "from scratch", as suggested by Nys and Rekker, and assemble the structure from fragments, each of which has been assigned a hydrophobic value. In the present paper some new log P values for the lower alkanes and the inert gases are analyzed with the view of separating hydrophobic effects according to volume (including branching and flexibility) and polarity. Modified fragment values appear to enable reliable calculations to be made for a wider range of structures than was possible with the originally proposed constants.
Leo et al. (Mon,) studied this question.