Chemistry / Chem 1120 · Atom · ~20 seconds
Pi Bonding Restricts Rotation
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Rotating one atom of a double bond relative to the other would break the pi bond's side-by-side overlap, so it strongly resists rotation.
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The two carbons in ethylene's double bond stay fixed in one plane, unlike the freely rotating single bond in ethane.
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This restriction comes specifically from the pi bond's overlap geometry; a molecule's single sigma bonds rotate freely.
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