Chemistry - STRUCTURAL ISOMERISM Question with Solution | TestHub

Staggered conformation is more stable because in this conformation any two hydrogen atoms on adjacent carbon atoms are as far apart as possible and the repulsion between the electron clouds of $\sigma$-bonds of two non-bonded hydrogen atoms is minimum. The energy difference of $12.55\mathrm{kJ}{\mathrm{mol}}^{-1}$ is not large enough to prevent rotation at room temperature as a result it is not possible to seperate the two conformations of ethane.