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

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 σ bond

Tardigrade Admin · Accepted Answer

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.

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

they interconvert rapidly

both the conformers are equally stable

the energy difference between the conformers is large

there is a large energy barrier of rotation about the $σ$ bond

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.