Conformational Isomerism
The different spatial arrangements a molecule can adopt through rotation about single bonds.
Unit
kJ/mol
In depth
Conformers interconvert rapidly at room temperature because the rotational barriers are only a few kilojoules per mole, so they cannot normally be isolated. Staggered conformations are lower in energy than eclipsed ones, and in rings the chair form avoids both angle and torsional strain.
Examples in the real world
Ethane's staggered form lying 12 kJ/mol below the eclipsed; cyclohexane's chair and boat conformations.