Citation: Haobo Ling, Peihong Zhao, Shouyun Yu. A Controversy in the Textbooks of Organic Chemistry: The Origin of the Stability of Ethane Conformations[J]. University Chemistry, ;2024, 39(1): 325-331. doi: 10.3866/PKU.DXHX202307060 shu

A Controversy in the Textbooks of Organic Chemistry: The Origin of the Stability of Ethane Conformations

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China

Corresponding author: Shouyun Yu, yushouyun@nju.edu.cn
Received Date: 20 July 2023

The conformations of alkanes and their stability are important topics in basic organic chemistry. Among them, the staggered and eclipsed conformations of ethane are the most fundamental. Current undergraduate organic chemistry textbooks both domestically and internationally provide different explanations for the stability of the staggered conformation of ethane compared to the eclipsed conformation, leading to confusion and making it difficult for undergraduate teaching. In this study, we conducted a survey of literatures, organized different arguments and evidence for the stability of the staggered conformation of ethane, and pointed out the shortcomings of analysis and calculation methods in previous literatures. Through literature research, we believe that both hyperconjugation and steric hindrance should be included in the textbooks.
- Ethane conformation,
- Coulombic force,
- Pauli repulsion,
- Steric effect,
- Hyperconjugation
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