Newman Projection Definition:

A drawing style that is used to visualize the conformations of a molecule.

Newman Projection Explained:

The Newman projection is designed to show the confirmations/ different positions of a molecule. These conformations result from rotation along with the C-C single bonds which become bent or twisted. Due to the movement, some confirmations are high in energy while others are low in energy. A molecule, however, always prefers the low strain low energy conformation.

The 2 main structures under the Newman projection is the staggered structure and the ellipsed structure.

• In the staggered structure, the atoms are more evenly spaced out. This reduces repulsion between the atoms and the molecule attains a state of low energy and low strain.
• In the eclipsed structure, the spacing is not so even and there is a high degree of repulsion between the atoms. This is the high strain high energy state of the molecule. Molecules seldom remain in this state.

Example – Drawing the Newman Projection for Ethane.

Other Examples –