ring strain
Small cycle stress
Ring strain is the instability in cyclic molecules caused by bond angles forced away from their ideal geometry.
Small rings like cyclopropane have atoms pushed into unnatural positions, storing energy that makes them more reactive.
The three-membered ring opens readily due to ring strain.
Larger rings and aromatic compounds like benzene have little or no ring strain.
- cyclopropaneTriangular three-carbon saturated hydrocarbon
- epoxideThree-membered cyclic ether
- angleGeometric measure of rotation
- tensionStretched or strained state
- reactivityTendency to chemically combine
torsional · energy · instability · release · opening · polymerization · distortion · tetrahedral · deviation · lactone · cyclopentane · bond · eclipsing · explosive · relief · synthesis · organic
- chemistryatom, atoms, organic chemistry, molecule, chemistry
- steric effectscrowding, 1
- beta-lactamspenicillin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, cephalosporin, cephalexin
- cyclic compoundscyclopropane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, benzene, naphthalene