What is the difference between eclipsed and staggered ethane?
3D model · turn it, step through it, tap the parts
An interactive 3D scene of ethane: in the staggered conformation the back hydrogens sit between the front ones, 60° apart and lowest in energy; rotating the C–C bond, which breaks nothing, brings them into line at 0°, the eclipsed conformation, about 12 kJ/mol higher, and at room temperature the molecule turns constantly.