substituents

[cara_Budzinski_3D]

Will all substituents have a preference for the equatorial position, as a general rule? I know that bigger substituents have a higher preference for the equatorial position, but will there ever be substituents that favor the axial position?

[Jenny_Thompson_3I]

In most cases, substituents favor the equatorial position because it leads to more stability of the molecule overall. For example, when substituents are in the axial position it can lead to steric strain with the other axial molecules, which makes the structure less stable.