Cycloalkanes

[giareyes_2B]

I know that 5 and 6 Carbon rings are the most common because they are the most stable, but what makes them the most stable in comparison to other cycloalkanes?

[Kendall_Chaffin_3C]

Other alkanes have more angle strain. Each C-C bond wants to be roughly 109.5 degrees. With less that 5 Carbons each C-C bond angle is too big (ex: cyclopropanes C-C bonds are at 120 degrees) and with more than 6 carbons the C-C bond angle is too small (ex: cyclooctanes C-C bonds would be 45 degrees if all C-C bonds were in the same plane)