Conformations ethane

The second representation is known as a sawhorse and is shown in 3. Here the molecule is observed from an oblique angle. 

Make a molecular model of ethane and confirm that 3 represents an eclipsed conformation. 

A clockwise rotation of 120° of the rear methyl group from the eclipsed position in 2 and 3 gives a second eclipsed conformation identical with 

Conformational changes are made by rotation around bonds. No bonds are broken or made. 

Small three-dimensional molecules are commonly viewed by sawhorse or Newman projections. 

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The origin of a torsional barrier can be studied best in simple cases like ethane. Here, rotation about the central carbon-carbon bond results in three staggered and three eclipsed stationary points on the potential energy surface, at least when symmetry considerations are not taken into account. Quantum mechanically, the barrier of rotation is explained by anti-bonding interactions between the hydrogens attached to different carbon atoms. These interactions are small when the conformation of ethane is staggered, and reach a maximum value when the molecule approaches an eclipsed geometry. 

In this chapter we 11 examine the conformations of various alkanes and cyclo alkanes focusing most of our attention on three of them ethane butane and cyclo hexane A detailed study of even these three will take us a long way toward understanding the mam ideas of conformational analysis... 

Ethane is the simplest hydrocarbon that can have distinct conformations Two the stag gered conformation and the eclipsed conformation, deserve special mention and are illustrated with molecular models m Figure 3 1... 

FIGURE 3 2 Some commonly used draw mgs of the staggered conformation of ethane... 

Of the two conformations of ethane the staggered is 12 kJImol (2 9 heal mol) more stable than the eclipsed The staggered conformation is the most stable conformation the eclipsed is the least stable conformation Two main explanations have been offered for the difference in stability between the two conformations One explanation holds that repulsions between bonds on adjacent atoms destabilize the eclipsed conformation The other suggests that better electron delocalization stabilizes the staggered conformation The latter of these two explanations is now believed to be the correct one... 

Conformations m which the torsion angles between adjacent bonds are other than 60° are said to have torsional strain Eclipsed bonds produce the most torsional strain staggered bonds none Because three pairs of eclipsed bonds are responsible for 12 kJ/mol (2 9 kcal/mol) of torsional strain m ethane it is reasonable to assign an energy cost of 4 kJ/mol (1 kcal/mol) to each pair In this chapter we 11 learn of additional sources of strain m molecules which together with torsional strain comprise steric strain... 

Rotation around carbon-carbon bonds is one of the fastest processes m chemistry Among the ways that we can describe the rate of a process is by its half life which is the length of time it takes for one half of the molecules to react It takes less than 10 s for half of the molecules m a sample of ethane to go from one staggered conformation to another at 25°C... 

Section 3 1 The most stable conformation of ethane is the staggered conformation It IS approximately 12 kJ/mol (3 kcal/mol) more stable than the eclipsed, which IS the least stable conformation... 

Staggered conformation of ethane (most stable conformation)... 

The difference m energy between the staggered and eclipsed forms is due almost entirely to the torsional strain m the eclipsed conformation At any instant almost all the molecules of ethane reside m the staggered con formation... 

Example Ethane is stable in the staggered (gauche) conformation. The transition state for rotating a methyl group in ethane has the eclipsed conformation. Ageometry optimization starting from an eclipsed conformation yields the transition state. 

Acyclic Compounds. Different conformations of acyclic compounds are best viewed by construction of ball-and-stick molecules or by use of Newman projections (see Fig. 1.2). Both types of representations are shown for ethane. Atoms or groups that are attached at opposite ends of a single bond should be viewed along the bond axis. If two atoms or groups attached at opposite ends of the bond appear one directly behind the other, these atoms or groups are described as eclipsed. That portion of the molecule is described as being in the eclipsed conformation. If not eclipsed, the atoms... 

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