Thus after allowing for the effect of the changes in n-octanol/water partition, there is much less variation to be explained and the remaining effect of an increase in molecular volume is predicted to be a decrease in permeability. (That this is the inverse square root relation predicted by the solubility-diffusion model is to some extent an “accident” of the choice of the preferred solvent for comparison, n-octanol. If olive oil had been chosen instead increases in volume would again be predicted to decrease permeability, but with a different more negative coefficient).