1. Tardigrade
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  3. Chemistry
  4. There is free rotation about the carbon-carbon σ-bond in ethane. This means that the energy difference between the staggered and eclipsed conformers is

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Q. There is free rotation about the carbon-carbon $\sigma$-bond in ethane. This means that the energy difference between the staggered and eclipsed conformers is

Hydrocarbons

Solution:

The staggered conformer is more stable than the eclipsed conformer by about $12.6 \,kJ\, mol ^{-1}$. As this energy difference is small, there is no effective energy barrier to rotation about a $\sigma$ bond.