TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Conformations of Organic Molecules A1 - Renslo, Adam A2 - Renslo, Adam PY - 2016 T2 - The Organic Chemistry of Medicinal Agents AB - In this chapter we will consider the conformations, or three-dimensional shapes, that organic molecules can adopt via rotations about single bonds in their structures. These rotations occur rapidly at physiological temperatures and so most molecules can readily adopt several distinct conformations that are in equilibrium with each other. These various conformations will have different free energies, which will determine the relative abundance of the different conformations. Two energetic extremes in the conformations of ethane are shown below, with the staggered conformation being lowest in energy (most favored) and the eclipsed conformation highest in energy (Figure 4.1). When a drug molecule interacts with its biological target, it must adopt a conformation (shape) that is compatible with binding to the target. The conformation of organic molecules is therefore a topic of great relevance to the action of drug molecules. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - accessbiomedicalscience.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1124842417 ER -