Ecotoxicity studies of glycerol ethers in Vibrio fischeri: checking the environmental impact of glycerol-derived solvents†

The toxicities of a series of glycerol mono-, di-, and trialkyl ethers against Vibrio fischeri bacteria have been determined. A systematic study has been carried out and the possible structure–toxicity relationships have been discussed using different QSAR models. Inhibition of bioluminescence after 30 minutes of exposure shows relatively low toxicity of many of the glycerol derived chemicals studied. Results indicate that, as a general rule, the ecotoxicity increases with the length and number of substituents. However, if the size of the molecule increases, an extra substituent at position 2 makes the toxicity lower than that of the corresponding analogues.