Dihedral angle in staggered form of ethane is :

Dihedral angle in staggered form of ethane is :
A $0^\circ$
B $120^\circ$
C $60^\circ$
D $180^\circ$

Detailed Solution

The dihedral (torsional) angle is the angle between a C–H bond on the front carbon and a C–H bond on the back carbon, seen in a Newman projection.
In the eclipsed form, the hydrogens of the two carbons are directly behind one another: dihedral angle $0^\circ$.
In the staggered form, each back hydrogen lies exactly between two front hydrogens: the nearest dihedral angle is $60^\circ$.
So the dihedral angle in the staggered form of ethane is $60^\circ$ (it is the more stable conformation).

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Practise Conformations of ethane All 2 questions This chapter in 2000 AIPMT