Difference between Axial and Equatorial Position
1. What is axial position?
An axial position in a molecule is one that is perpendicular to the molecule’s plane. The axial locations of cyclic compounds, such as cyclohexane, are places that point up or down from the ring. plane.
2. What is equatorial position?
Equatorial position is the arrangement of substituent groups (atoms or functional groups) around the carbon atoms in a cyclohexane ring. Cyclohexane is a common organic compound consisting of a six-membered carbon ring.
3. How do the stability of axial and equatorial locations differ?
Because of steric hindrance, axial locations are less stable than equatorial positions. Axial groups can interfere with neighboring groups, resulting in unfavorable interactions and molecular instability.
4. How does the geometry of axial and equatorial locations differ?
Axial positions are parallel to the molecule’s axis of symmetry, whereas equatorial locations are perpendicular to the axis of symmetry.
5. What are a few examples of axial and equatorial molecules?
A typical illustration of a molecule with axial and equatorial locations is cyclohexane. Equatorial hydrogens in cyclohexane point away from the ring plane, while axial hydrogens in the compound point up or down.
Difference Between Axial and Equatorial Position
Difference between Axial and Equatorial Position: Six carbon atoms are grouped in a ring in a cyclohexane molecule. Each carbon atom is connected to two other carbon atoms as well as two hydrogen atoms. When one or more substituents are introduced into the ring, they might take an axial or equatorial position. In the axial position, the substituent is perpendicular to the plane of the ring, pointing up or down. The substituent is projecting outward from the plane of the ring in the equatorial position. The difference in axial and equatorial orientations might alter the molecule’s stability and reactivity.
Axial substituents, for example, might encounter steric hindrance from adjacent groups, making them less stable. Equitorial substituents, on the other hand, experience less steric hindrance and are often more stable. The terms axial and equatorial are crucial for illustrating the precise 3D location of the chemical bonds in a cyclohexane molecule with a chair conformation. A molecule can assume a conformation as a result of the rotation of one or more of its bonds. To reduce angle strain, the bonds are placed in axial and equatorial orientations.
In this article, you will learn in detail about what is axial position and equatorial position along with the difference between Axial and Equatorial Position.
Table of Content
- What is Axial Position?
- What is Equatorial Position?
- Difference between Axial and Equatorial Position