Ethane Rotation: Staggered vs Eclipsed

Ethane and propane show how rotation around a carbon-carbon single bond changes a molecule’s shape and energy. This internal rotation creates conformers, which are different arrangements of the same molecule. For ethane, the main conformations are staggered and eclipsed.

Staggered ethane is the l...

A molecule of ethane, when viewed down the carbon-carbon bond, shows the C-H groups spaced at 60°dihedral angles. This is the staggered conformation of ethane.

The staggered form of ethane has the lowest energy. This is because the C-H bonds are furthest from each other, minimizing steric repulsion between the electrons in the bonds, and ...