Cyclohexane Chair, Boat, and Twist-Boat Forms

Cyclohexane adopts non-planar shapes because a flat ring would create high angle strain and torsional strain. The molecule instead bends into chair and boat conformations. These shapes lower the strain and make the ring more stable.

The chair conformation is the most stable form. It is named for ...

Cyclohexane, in its hypothetical planar form, would have both angle strain and torsional strain.

While angle strain would result from bond angles of 120˚, the torsional strain would arise from eclipsing C-H bonds.

Due to the destabilizing effects of the two strains, the planar form of cyclohexane does not exist. Instead, cyclohexan...