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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 1999  > March  >
In the Classroom
A Way To Predict the Relative Stabilities of Structural Isomers
John M. Lyon
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Department of Chemistry, Green Bay, WI 54311-7001
Cover
March 1999
Vol. 76 No. 3
p. 364
Abstract
This paper discusses a method to evaluate the relative stabilities of structural isomers of inorganic and organic compounds. The method uses a simple set of rules that can be applied with only a knowledge of the electron configuration of the atoms and the periodic trends in atomic size. A molecule is viewed as a collection of valence electrons and the nuclei with their inner shell electrons, called cores. The energy of a molecule is set equal to the forces of attraction between valence electrons and cores minus the forces of repulsion between the cores. The method predicts that the most stable structure will be the isomer that has a minimum amount of core-core repulsion for atoms that are bonded together in the molecule. For isomers that have equivalent core-core repulsion energies, the method predicts that the more compact structure will be more stable. A justification for the rules of the method is presented using only electrostatic arguments. This allows for this method to be used at the introductory chemistry level to explain why different structural isomers have different stabilities.
More Information
*  Citation
 Lyon, John M. J. Chem. Educ. 1999 76 364.
*  Keywords
 Introductory / High School Chemistry; Bonding Theory; Molecular Properties / Structure; Teaching / Learning Aids
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 June 15, 1999
June 22, 2005
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