What is an equatorial substituent?
Do you have an example? It may be easier to explain that than to give you something to read. I was unable to find anything on the net that I thought was appropriate.
This is a substitute (usually a functional group) in the pane of the ring as opposed to axial which is perpendicular to the ring. The terminology is usually used for cyclohexanes in the chair form, but is also for rings systems on the diamond lattice such as cyclododecanes.
The usual example quoted when teaching is glucose where all the substituents (OH groups) are in the plane of the ring, i.e. equatorial.
Hope this helps.
An equatorial substituent refers to a chemical group or atom that is positioned around the equator of a molecule in three-dimensional space. In organic chemistry, it is commonly used to describe the orientation of substituents on cyclic structures, such as cyclohexane.
To understand the concept of equatorial substituents, it's helpful to have a visual representation of a cyclohexane molecule. Each carbon atom in the ring is bonded with two hydrogen atoms and two neighboring carbon atoms. In cyclohexane, there are two possible orientations for substituents: axial and equatorial.
Axial substituents extend perpendicular to the plane of the ring, pointing either up or down. On the other hand, equatorial substituents are positioned around the equator of the ring, extending outward from the middle of the ring. Equatorial positions are preferred because they minimize steric strain, or the repulsive interactions between atoms, resulting in a more stable molecule.
Determining whether a substituent is axial or equatorial can be done by examining the structure of the molecule or by using a three-dimensional model. The orientation of substituents can have significant effects on the reactivity and physical properties of the molecule.