Why is staggered conformation of ethane more stable than eclipsed conformation?

The staggered conformation of ethane is a more stable, lower energy conformation than the eclipsed conformation because the eclipsed conformation involves unfavorable interactions between hydrogen atoms. Specifically, the negatively charged electrons in the bonds repel each other most when the bonds line up.

Which conformation of ethane is more stable and why?

Assertion :Staggered conformation of ethane is most stable while eclipsed conformation is least stable. Reason: Staggered form has the least torsional strain and the eclipsed form has the maximum torsional strain.

Is eclipsed or staggered conformation more stable?

hydrocarbons. …with respect to the other—the eclipsed conformation is the least stable, and the staggered conformation is the most stable. The eclipsed conformation is said to suffer torsional strain because of repulsive forces between electron pairs in the C―H bonds of adjacent carbons.

Why is staggered better than eclipsed?

The main difference between staggered conformation and eclipsed conformation is that staggered conformation has a lower potential energy whereas eclipsed conformation has the maximum potential energy.

Which are the staggered form of ethane?

The lowest energy conformation of ethane, shown in the figure above, is called the ‘staggered’ conformation, in which all of the C-H bonds on the front carbon are positioned at dihedral angles of 60°relative to the C-H bonds on the back carbon.

What makes a conformation more stable?

The chair conformation is more stable because it does not have any steric hindrance or steric repulsion between the hydrogen bonds. Of these two positions of the H’s, the equitorial form will be the most stable because the hydrogen atoms, or perhaps the other substituents, will not be touching each other.

Why staggered is more stable?

From the structures of staggered and eclipsed conformations, we can conclude that the torsional strain in the staggered conformation is less than that of the eclipsed conformation. Thus, the staggered conformation is more stable than the eclipsed conformation because staggered conformation has no torsional strain.

Why staggered is stable?

Is staggered least stable?

hydrocarbons. …the least stable, and the staggered conformation is the most stable. The eclipsed conformation is said to suffer torsional strain because of repulsive forces between electron pairs in the C―H bonds of adjacent carbons.

Why is staggered conformation of butane more stable?

The butane molecule is drawn in Chem 3D and energy minimized. This places the molecule at its optimal energy which corresponds to the staggered conformation where the two methyl groups are furthest from each other. This is visualized at 180 dergrees on the graph and is the most stable conformation.

Why is ethane staggered?

The staggered conformation is the most stable of all possible conformations of ethane, since the angles between C-H bonds on the front and rear carbons are maximized which minimizes the energy. In the eclipsed form, the electron densities on the C-H bonds are closer together than they are in the staggered form.

Does the staggered conformation of ethane have any planes of symmetry?

Most achiral molecules do have a plane of symmetry or a center of symmetry. There are four planes of symmetry in eclipsed conformation of ethane: Ethane in this conformation is achiral.

Why eclipsed conformation of ethane is less stable than staggered conformation?

The eclipsed conformation of ethane is less stable than the staggered conformation. Energies for these rotations are measured using Chem 3D, drawing an ethane molecule and minimizing its energy will start it in the staggered conformation.

Why does staggered form of ethane show increased electron cloud repulsion?

(i) There are minimum repulsive forces, minimum energy and maximum stability in the staggered form of ethane. Here, the electrons clouds of carbon-hydrogen bonds are as far as possible. (ii) the electron clouds come closer when the staggered form changes to the eclipsed form. It results in increased electron cloud repulsions.

How do you measure the energies of a staggered conformation?

Energies for these rotations are measured using Chem 3D, drawing an ethane molecule and minimizing its energy will start it in the staggered conformation. The staggered conformation is the most stable of all possible conformations of ethane, since the angles between C-H bonds on the front and rear carbons are maximized which minimizes the energy.

What is the difference between staggered and eclipsed conformation?

The staggered and eclipsed conformations repeat every 120 degrees. The eclipsed conformation of ethane is less stable than the staggered conformation. Energies for these rotations are measured using Chem 3D, drawing an ethane molecule and minimizing its energy will start it in the staggered conformation.