In Ethane Which Conformation Is More Stable?

The staggered conformation is the most stable of all possible conformations of ethane, since the angles between C-H bonds on the front and rear carbons are maximized which minimizes the energy.

Which conformation is the most stable?

…with respect to the other—the eclipsed conformation is the least stable, and the staggered conformation is the most stable. The eclipsed conformation is said to suffer torsional strain because of repulsive forces between electron pairs in the C―H bonds of adjacent carbons.

Which conformation is more stable and why?

The chair conformation is more stable because it does not have any steric hindrance or steric repulsion between the hydrogen bonds. By drawing cyclohexane in a chair conformation, we can see how the H's are positioned.