= Conformation
A molecular <conformation> is a spatial arrangement accessible through motions such as rotations around single bonds, without changing the molecule's connectivity. Distinct conformations can have different <potential energies> and interconvert at different rates.
For <ethane>, rotation around the carbon-carbon bond connects staggered and eclipsed conformations. For <cyclohexane>, ring motions connect chair conformations. A drawing therefore specifies more than a molecular formula: the geometry can control steric interactions, orbital alignment, and <chemical reactivity>. A sufficiently high interconversion barrier can make particular conformations separately observable.
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