Getting Started

This simulator allows you to explore cyclohexane molecules in 3D, edit substituents, perform ring flips, and analyze strain energies.

Use your mouse to rotate the 3D view. Right-click and drag to zoom, middle-click to pan.

2D Editor

In the 2D Editor tab, click on the carbon atoms or substituent labels (H, Me, etc.) to change substituents. Wedge bonds point up, dash bonds point down.

The Reset button clears all substituents back to hydrogen.

Newman View

The Newman View shows a perspective along specific carbon-carbon bonds. Use the dropdown to select different bond pairs.

Ring Flip

Enable "Perform Ring Flip" to animate between the two chair conformations. Save snapshots of each chair to compare their strain energies.

Pancake Flip

The pancake flip rotates the molecule 180° around its axis, useful for visualizing stereochemistry.

Strain Energy Panel

The panel on the right shows calculated strain energies. You can adjust angle strain manually. Click "Show Details" for more information.

Settings

Access settings to customize substituent properties like size, color, and interaction energies.

Cyclohexane Chair Conformations

Cyclohexane exists in two main conformations: chair and boat. The chair conformation is more stable.

In the chair, substituents can be axial (perpendicular to the ring plane) or equatorial (in the ring plane). Axial positions are more crowded.

Ring flip interconverts axial and equatorial positions.

Types of Strain

Angle Strain: Deviation from ideal bond angles (109.5° for tetrahedral carbon).

Torsional Strain: Energy from eclipsed bonds in the ring.

Steric Strain: Repulsion between atoms that are too close.

• 1,3-Diaxial Interactions: Repulsion between axial substituents on carbons 1 and 3.
• Gauche Interactions: Repulsion in staggered but close substituents.