Van der Waals strain is strain resulting from Van der Waals repulsion when two substituents in a molecule approach each other with a distance less than the sum of their Van der Waals radii. Van der Waals strain is also called Van der Waals repulsion and is related to steric hindrance.[1] One of the most common forms of this strain is eclipsing hydrogen, in alkanes.
- ^ Organic chemistry 4th. Ed., Morrison and Boyd ISBN 0-205-05838-8