Heavier or Bigger Substitutent

[Kelsey Ouyang 3H]

When drawing the most stable chair conformation, do you put the heavier or the larger (in size) substituent in the equatorial position? For example, between chlorine vs CH₃, chlorine is heavier but CH₃ is a larger substituent, which one would you put in the equatorial position to make it more stable? It should be CH₃ right because you want to make sure the larger substituents are in equatorial so that there is no steric strain right?

[Chem_Mod]

Bigger is more important than heavier. So yep, CH3 goes equatorial first and foremost.