Strain and Conformation in Organic Chemistry

What process allows liquid wax to move up the wick of a burning candle?

• Combustion

• Evaporation

• Capillary action

• Distillation

Which statement accurately describes alkanes?

• They are highly reactive and mix easily with water.

• They are non-polar, hydrophobic, and not very reactive.

• They contain double or triple bonds between carbon atoms.

• They are acidic compounds used to neutralize bases.

Which fraction of crude oil is primarily used to make candle wax?

• Petroleum gas

• Octanes

• Paraffin waxes

• Asphalt

What type of conformer has a dihedral angle of 0 degrees and is considered less stable due to higher energy?

• Staggered conformer

• Skew conformer

• Eclipsed conformer

• Gauched conformer

What happens to a molecule's energy when it experiences increasing torsional strain?

• Its energy decreases.

• Its energy stays the same.

• Its energy increases.

• It becomes more stable.

What term describes the crowding between groups in a molecule that makes it harder for them to move?

• Torsional energy

• Angular strain

• Steric hindrance

• Ring puckering

Which conformer of butane has the lowest energy and least stress?

• Totally eclipsed conformer

• Gauche conformer

• Eclipsed conformer

• Anti conformer

What is the combination of angular strain and torsional strain in cyclic molecules called?

• Steric hindrance

• Ring strain

• Butterfly conformation

• Newman projection