--- title: "The tert-butyl lock Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-tert-butyl-lock/ description: "The tert-butyl lock template: cis- and trans-4-tert-butylcyclohexanol: the tert-butyl group stays equatorial (A-value about 20 kJ mol⁻¹), locking the OH…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-10-28 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereochemistry/) › The tert-butyl lock [Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereochemistry/)Premium # The tert-butyl lock template ![The tert-butyl lock template: cis- and trans-4-tert-butylcyclohexanol: the tert-butyl group stays equatorial (A-value about 20 kJ mol⁻¹), locking the OH equatorial (trans) or axial (cis).](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-tert-butyl-lock.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). cis- and trans-4-tert-butylcyclohexanol: the tert-butyl group stays equatorial (A-value about 20 kJ mol⁻¹), locking the OH equatorial (trans) or axial (cis). ## What the template shows - C(CH₃)₃ is far too big to sit axial, so it fixes the chair: other groups are locked axial or equatorial - 4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol - trans-4-tert-butylcyclohexanol - C(CH₃)₃ equatorial, OH equatorial - cis-4-tert-butylcyclohexanol - C(CH₃)₃ equatorial, OH axial - An axial tert-butyl group would clash badly with the axial H on C3 and C5 (A-value about 20 kJ mol⁻¹): more than 99.9 % of molecules keep it equatorial. - The ring no longer flips in practice, so each diastereomer has one chair: trans has OH equatorial, cis has OH axial. - Locked rings let axial and equatorial groups be compared directly: an axial OH is more hindered, is oxidised faster (strain relief) and is esterified more slowly. - The same idea is used to fix conformations in the study of E2 eliminations (an anti-periplanar, diaxial H and leaving group). - Wedge = toward you, hash = away from you · every part of this figure is editable Drawn with 22 atoms, 19 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Clayden, Greeves & Warren, Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed., OUP 2012, ch. 16](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780199270293) Textbook - [Eliel & Wilen, Stereochemistry of Organic Compounds, Wiley 1994, ch. 11](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780471016700) Textbook ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the The tert-butyl lock template free? You can preview the The tert-butyl lock template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates. ### Can I edit the The tert-butyl lock template? Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it. ### Is the chemistry checked? Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page. ### Are the R/S labels in the stereochemistry templates checked? Yes. Every R/S and E/Z descriptor is computed with RDKit from the drawn structure, so the labels match the wedges and dashes. ## More stereochemistry templates [**Assigning R and S**Free · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-rs-assignment/)[**Newman projections: butane**Free · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-newman-butane/)[**Cyclohexane chair and ring flip**Free · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-chair-ring-flip/)[**CIP priority rules**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-cip-rules/)[**E/Z and cis/trans alkenes**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-ez-alkenes/)[**Enantiomers and diastereomers**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-enantiomers-diastereomers/)[**Meso compounds: 2,3-dibromobutane**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-meso-dibromobutane/)[**Tartaric acid stereoisomers**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-tartaric-acid/) ## Related pages [**Chirality & R/S Configuration Worksheet**Free printable worksheet](https://www.moldraw.com/educational-materials/chirality-rs-worksheet/)[**Structural Isomers & Stereoisomers Worksheet**Free printable worksheet](https://www.moldraw.com/educational-materials/isomers-worksheet/)[**All Stereochemistry templates**17 templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereochemistry/)[**All chemistry templates**370 templates in 29 categories](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) MolDraw Pro Download all 370 templates - Export the 291 premium templates as PNG, SVG or PDF - AI chemistry assistant - Structure scanning from images - Cloud save and teaching slides [See Pro plans](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing) Free templates stay free. 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