Representing Chiral cyclohexane on a chair conformation

[grewas8]

For an assignment for organic chem the question asks to convert the structure of a compound into a chair conformation
my question is that are equatorial substituents always the ones that are represented as a wedge on a structural diagram?
If not could someone please give me tips on how to approach this question?
thanks
P.S. the diagram of the molecule is attached and thick black line represents wedge, thin red line represents dash

 

[chemisttree]

Bonds that are depicted as wedges are drawn to indicate that the bond is pointed toward the observer. Dashed ones are pointed away from the observer. They are entirely unrelated to chair/boat or axial/equatorial placements per se. If I had little experience visualizing structures in 3D I would approach this problem by building a model. It is very difficult to explain the structure without them. It can be done, but it is difficult.

 

[ravenprp]

Great question! In a chair conformation, the equatorial substituents are typically represented as wedges on a structural diagram. However, this is not always the case. It is important to remember that the orientation of wedges and dashes on a structural diagram is relative and can be changed without affecting the overall structure of the molecule.

To approach this question, you can follow these steps:

1. Identify the chiral center(s) in the molecule: In this case, the chiral center is the carbon atom with four different substituents attached to it.

2. Draw the chair conformation: Start by drawing the chair conformation of the molecule, with the chiral center in the center of the ring. Remember that the equatorial positions will be pointing outwards, while the axial positions will be pointing upwards and downwards.

3. Place the substituents on the chair conformation: The substituents can be placed in the equatorial or axial positions. However, as mentioned earlier, the orientation of wedges and dashes is relative, so you can choose to represent the substituents as wedges or dashes as long as the overall structure of the molecule remains the same.

4. Follow the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog (CIP) rules: The CIP rules are used to assign priorities to the substituents attached to a chiral center. The substituents with higher atomic numbers are given higher priority. This will help you determine the correct orientation of the wedges and dashes on the structural diagram.

5. Double-check your structure: Once you have placed all the substituents on the chair conformation, double-check to make sure that the substituents with higher priority are represented as wedges, while the substituents with lower priority are represented as dashes.

Remember, the key is to maintain the correct orientation of the substituents in relation to the chiral center and to follow the CIP rules. I hope this helps! Good luck with your assignment.