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Bulky groups

  1. Sep 23, 2010 #1
    What is meant by the term "bulky group?" I couldnt find a definition for this.
  2. jcsd
  3. Sep 23, 2010 #2
    A group that litterally is big and bulky, where steric hindrance becomes a deciding factor for which reactions take place.

    Try searching for steric hindrance on Wikipedia to read more.
  4. Sep 24, 2010 #3
    It might be easier to understand the bulkiness of a group with some kind of model set. But as espen said, it literally refers to the size of the group.

    Examples of non-bulky groups would be the cyanide (-CN) and azide (-N3) ions, which are small, linear, and shaped like "bullets." The classic "bulky" group is t-butyl, -C(CH3)3. All those methyl groups create quite a bit of steric hindrance.
  5. Sep 25, 2010 #4
    Thank you for the responses. I'll read up on steric hindrance as well.

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