Why methanol has a three fold symmetry ?

In Newman projection, it seems methanol should have 2 fold symmetry, but methanol has a three fold symmetry. Why it is so.

1 Answer
anor277
Dec 13, 2017

Are you sure....?

Explanation:

This is really a scenario where it is advizable to construct a model of the molecule in question....

www.cup.uni-muenchen.de

As written, the molecule has #C_s# symmetry...but free rotation about the #C_2-O_3# axis equates #H_1,H_5, H_6#...and thus in the #""^1H# #"NMR spectrum"# we would see 2 signals in a 3:1 ratio.

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