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Related Concept Videos

Conformations of Cycloalkanes02:29

Conformations of Cycloalkanes

Adolf von Baeyer attempted to explain the instabilities of small and large cycloalkane rings using the concept of angle strain — the strain caused by the deviation of bond angles from the ideal 109.5° tetrahedral value for sp3  hybridized carbons. However, while cyclopropane and cyclobutane are strained, as expected from their highly compressed bond angles, cyclopentane is more strained than predicted, and cyclohexane is virtually strain-free. Hence, Baeyer’s theory that was based on the...
Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds02:33

Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds

In this lesson, we delve into the role of ring conformation and its stability, which determines the spatial arrangement and, consequently, the molecular symmetry and stereoisomerism of cyclic compounds. 1,2-Dimethylcyclohexane is used as a case study to evaluate the possible number of stereoisomers. Here, given the multiple (n = 2) chiral centers, there are 2n = 4 possible configurations that lack a plane of symmetry, as the ring skeleton exists in a non-planar chair conformation. In addition,...
Chair Conformation of Cyclohexane02:02

Chair Conformation of Cyclohexane

The chair conformation is the most stable form of cyclohexane due to the absence of angle and torsional strain. The absence of angle strain is a result of cyclohexane’s bond angle being very close to the ideal tetrahedral bond angle of 109.5° in its chair conformer. Similarly, the torsional strain is also absent owing to the perfectly staggered arrangement of bonds.
The hydrogen atoms linked to carbons are arranged in two different axial and equatorial orientations to achieve this staggered...
Conformations of Cyclohexane02:11

Conformations of Cyclohexane

Cyclohexane does not exist in a planar form due to the high angle and torsional strain it would experience in the planar structure. Instead, it adopts non-planar chair and boat conformations.
The chair form is the most stable and derives its name from its resemblance to the “easy chair.” In the chair conformation, two carbon atoms are arranged out-of-plane — one above and one below, minimizing the torsional strain. In the chair form, the bond angle is very close to the ideal tetrahedral value,...
Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP)01:16

Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP)

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization or ROMP involves strained cycloalkenes as starting materials. The mechanism of ROMP proceeds by reacting cycloalkene with Grubbs catalyst to give metallacyclobutane intermediate which undergoes a ring-opening reaction to form new carbene. The new carbene reacts with another molecule of cycloalkene. Repetition of these steps leads to the formation of an unsaturated open-chain polymer product. All these steps are reversible, however, relieving the ring...
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution00:52

¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution

At room temperature, the chair conformer of cyclohexane undergoes rapid ring flipping between two equivalent chair conformers at a rate of approximately 105 times per second. These two chair conformers are in equilibrium. The rapid ring flipping results in the interconversion of the axial proton to an equatorial proton and an equatorial to the axial proton. Such interconversions are too rapid and cannot be detected on the NMR timescale. Hence, the NMR spectrometer cannot distinguish between the...

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Updated: May 30, 2026

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
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Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

Conformation of ring polymers in 2D constrained environments.

G Witz1, K Rechendorff, J Adamcik

  • 1Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Vivante, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.

Physical Review Letters
|July 21, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Circular DNA molecules exhibit unique conformations under spatial confinement. This study reveals how ring closure and confinement influence polymer statistics, providing insights into DNA folding.

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Area of Science:

  • Polymer Physics
  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Circularity and spatial constraints significantly impact semiflexible polymer statistics, like DNA.
  • Limited experimental data exists on the combined effects of circularity and confinement on polymer conformations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the conformational behavior of circular DNA in two dimensions within the concentrated regime.
  • To explore the influence of spatial confinement on DNA folding and statistical properties.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe circular DNA conformations.
  • Examined DNA molecules in the concentrated regime (above overlap concentration c*).
  • Compared experimental results with simulations of vesicles under pressure.

Main Results:

  • Circular DNA molecules in the concentrated regime undergo a collapse, with statistical properties resembling simulated vesicles under pressure.
  • Observed that circular DNA can create confining regions, trapping other molecules.
  • Demonstrated that spatially confined DNA folds into specific conformations dependent on the confining space size, similar to linear chains.

Conclusions:

  • The interplay of ring closure and spatial constraints dictates DNA conformation and statistical behavior.
  • Atomic force microscopy provides valuable single-molecule data for understanding polymer physics in confined environments.
  • Findings offer insights into DNA organization in crowded cellular environments and synthetic polymer systems.