"One thing that helped in determining the placement of certain atoms was
the idea that carbon likes for all bonding to take place on the same
plane. It creates less strain."
This is not true. A carbon that has four bonds through sp3 hybridization
has bonds in more than one plane, with the result that there is less
strain. Four groups bonded to a carbon will be separated by the maximum
distance if the geometry of the carbon is tetrahedral (therefore not
planar).
If a carbon has only three bonded groups then it is will be sp2 hybridized
and therefore trigonal planar. In this case the carbon and its three
attached groups are planar, and this is the geometry producing the least
strain.
If there are only two bonded groups attached to the carbon then it is sp
hybridized and has linear geometry.
Keep the on-line education going. Your messages are keeping many neurons
focused on organic chemistry.
CBF
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Craig B. Fryhle, Ph.D. Office 206-535-8314 FAX 206-536-5055
Associate Professor Email fryhle@u.washington.edu
Department of Chemistry URL http://rainier.chem.plu.edu/fryhle.html
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington 98447 ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
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