Previous studies have established that the extended coordination model of solvation can satisfactorily account for the variation in the transfer enthalpies of solutes in mixed-solvent systems. The model parameter relating to the solute-induced disruption of the solvent structure shows a marked dependence on the nature of the mixed solvent. In the present paper we report the transfer enthalpies of acetonitrile from water to aqueous methanol, ethanol and dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) systems. Analysis of these in terms of the extended coordination model confirms both the model's ability to account for the experimental data, and the variability of the structural disruption parameter. The solvation parameters recovered from the analyses indicate that the net effect of acetonitrile on the solvent structure is a breaking of solvent-solvent bonds. The extent of bond breaking of the solvent increases from MeOH to EtOH. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.