Lecture 32 - Stereotopicity and Baeyer Strain Theory

Why ethane has a rotational barrier is still debatable. Analyzing conformational and configurational stereotopicity relationships among constitutionally equivalent groups reveals a subtle discrimination in enzyme reactions. When Baeyer suggested strain-induced reactivity due to distorting bond angles away from those in an ideal tetrahedron, he assumed that the cyclohexane ring is flat. He was soon corrected by clever Sachse, but Sachse's weakness in rhetoric led to a quarter-century of confusion. Problem sets/Reading assignment: Reading assignments, problem sets, PowerPoint presentations, and other resources for this lecture can be accessed from Professor McBride's on-campus course website, which was developed for his Fall 2008 students. Please see Resources section below. Resources: [[http://webspace.yale.edu/chem125_oyc/#L32|Professor McBride's web resources for CHEM 125 (Fall 2008)]]