Inversion barrier
Encyclopedia
In molecular geometry
, the term inversion barrier refers to the amount of energy
required for the geometric structure of a molecule to undergo the conformational change
of inversion; i.e. for the molecule to be turned inside out. Nitrogen inversion
is one example of such a transition in the conformational structure of a molecule.
Molecular geometry
Molecular geometry or molecular structure is the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms that constitute a molecule. It determines several properties of a substance including its reactivity, polarity, phase of matter, color, magnetism, and biological activity.- Molecular geometry determination...
, the term inversion barrier refers to the amount of energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
required for the geometric structure of a molecule to undergo the conformational change
Conformational change
A macromolecule is usually flexible and dynamic. It can change its shape in response to changes in its environment or other factors; each possible shape is called a conformation, and a transition between them is called a conformational change...
of inversion; i.e. for the molecule to be turned inside out. Nitrogen inversion
Nitrogen inversion
In chemistry, a nitrogen compound like ammonia in a trigonal pyramid geometry undergoes rapid nitrogen inversion whereby the molecule turns inside out. This interconversion is a room temperature process because the energy barrier is relatively small. Contrast this to phosphine which does not show...
is one example of such a transition in the conformational structure of a molecule.