Question

At room temperature, the eclipsed and staggered forms of ethane cannot be isolated because

• A. they interconvert rapidly
• B. both the conformers are equally stable
• C. the energy difference between the conformers is large
• D. there is a large energy barrier of rotation about the $\sigma$ bond

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

they interconvert rapidly

Answer 2

Since, the energy difference between two conformations of ethane is not so large, so the eclipsed and staggered conformations interconvert rapidly. Thus, it is impossible to isolate these forms at room temperature.