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Chemistry

A new twist on molecular shape

Nature volume 411, pages 539–541 (2001)Cite this article

What are the forces that control the twisting and folding of molecules into complex shapes? Don't look for the answers in your organic chemistry textbook.

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Figure 1: Energy profile for internal rotations in ethane.
Figure 2: Contour plots (two-dimensional, 2D) and surface plots (3D) of adjacent carbon–hydrogen bond orbitals (σCH and CH*) of ethane.

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  1. the Theoretical Chemistry Institute and Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 53706, Wisconsin, USA

    Frank Weinhold

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  1. Frank Weinhold
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Correspondence to Frank Weinhold.

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Weinhold, F. A new twist on molecular shape. Nature 411, 539–541 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35079225

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