Conformational Equilibria
Conformational Equilibria - Related Videos
01:20
Conformity
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2020
Conformity is the change in a person’s behavior to go along with the group, even if that person does not agree with the group. Asch’s Original Study Solomon Asch conducted several experiments in the 1950s to determine how people are affected by the thoughts and behaviors of other people. In one study, a group of participants was shown a series of printed line segments of different lengths: a, b, and c. Participants were then shown a fourth line segment: x. They were asked to identify which...
08:55
A Minority of One: Conformity to Group Norms
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2023
Source: William Brady & Jay Van Bavel—New York University It is obvious that we are influenced by those around us, but in the early to mid 1900's, psychologists began to study how potent social influence can be on our thoughts and behaviors. Motivated in part by attempts to explain the behaviors of Nazi soldiers in World War II, one topic of considerable interest at the time in psychology was conformity, the phenomenon in which people match their attitudes, behaviors, or beliefs to group...
10:37
Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
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Cited by 3 •
2014
We present a technique that allows the spatial separation of different conformers or clusters present in a molecular beam. An electrostatic deflector is used to separate species by their mass-to-dipole moment ratio, leading to the production of gas-phase ensembles of a single conformer or cluster stoichiometry.
01:30
Multiple Equilibria
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2025
Multiple equilibria occur when strategic interactions between players result in several potential stable outcomes, each being a Nash equilibrium. This happens when a player's best response changes depending on the other's choice, leading to various combinations where neither player has an incentive to deviate from their strategy. Imagine two streaming services, StreamNow and ViewPrime, deciding when to release a new show—spring, winter, or not at all. Both benefit most when they release shows...
03:07
Solubility Equilibria
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2020
Solubility equilibria are established when the dissolution and precipitation of a solute species occur at equal rates. These equilibria underlie many natural and technological processes, ranging from tooth decay to water purification. An understanding of the factors affecting compound solubility is, therefore, essential to the effective management of these processes. This section applies previously introduced equilibrium concepts and tools to systems involving dissolution and precipitation. The...
FAQs
Conformers with lower relative energy generally contribute more strongly to the equilibrium distribution, while higher-energy arrangements remain possible because thermal motion supports interconversion. The observed molecular ensemble therefore reflects a balance rather than a single permanent structure. Comparing conformer stability helps explain which shapes are most significant under particular chemical conditions.
Steric interactions, torsional strain, and electronic effects can favor one spatial arrangement over another by changing their relative energies. Steric effects reflect unfavorable crowding, torsional strain concerns the energetic cost associated with bond rotation, and electronic effects arise from how molecular structure influences stability. Their combined influence determines the preferred distribution.
Temperature changes the amount of thermal motion available for interconversion, so it can alter the balance among conformers. Solvent also influences the relative stability of these arrangements. Considering both variables is important because a conformer distribution observed under one set of conditions may not represent the same equilibrium under different temperature or solvent conditions.
NMR signals can provide information about the conformational distribution of a molecule because different spatial arrangements may contribute differently to the observed spectrum. Interpreting those signals alongside conformer stability and interconversion helps connect experimental observations with molecular shape. This makes conformational analysis useful for relating spectral behavior to dynamic structure.
Analysis begins by considering the relevant spatial arrangements and comparing the factors that influence their stability, including steric interactions, torsional strain, electronic effects, temperature, and solvent. The resulting distribution can then be related to molecular shape or observed NMR signals. This approach avoids treating one drawing as the molecule’s only meaningful structure.
A reaction may proceed from conformers that differ in spatial arrangement and relative stability, so the equilibrium distribution can influence which pathways are accessible. Those differences can also affect stereochemical outcomes, meaning the three-dimensional arrangement of products. Conformational analysis therefore provides a way to connect dynamic molecular shape with reactivity and stereochemical prediction.
In molecular modeling, conformational equilibria help evaluate the shapes and relative stability of alternative molecular arrangements. In medicinal chemistry, these changing shapes are relevant to biological recognition because molecular shape influences how compounds are recognized. Considering an ensemble of conformers can therefore provide broader structural context than relying on a single fixed arrangement.