Steric Strain

[Cheng-Wei Jan]

Can someone please explain the idea behind steric strain and how it differs from torsional stain?

[Lauren Garcia 3I]

Steric strain occurs when atoms/atom groups repel each other because they are unable to occupy the same location. The difference between steric strain and torsional strain, though they both have to do with atoms being adjacent to each other, is that torsional strain is a force that opposes rotation of a molecule about a bond, whereas steric strain has to do with repulsion between electrons in atoms that are not directly bonded to each other.

[Dianna Grigorian 1C]

Sterin strain occurs when the atoms physically bump into each other. It happens when nonbonded atoms interact with each other and are too close. Torsional strain is the force that oppose rotation of a part of a molecule about a bond. In other words, it is the electron density repulsion that limits the molecule from rotating.

[305614361]

The main difference between steric strain and torsional strain is that steric strain cannot be lessened by rotating the molecule around a bond whereas torsional strain can be lessened by rotating the molecule around a bond.