steric hindrance

noun

, Chemistry.

1. the prevention or retardation of inter- or intramolecular interactions as a result of the spatial structure of a molecule.

Word History and Origins

Origin of steric hindrance¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

By introducing steric hindrance from these pendant groups, the team successfully suppressed the stacking of two-dimensional polymer intermediates during the polymerization of triazacoronene monomers.

From Science Daily

The successful sieving of the fuel molecules is achieved via selective proton transfers due to steric hindrance on holey graphene sheets that have chemical functionalization and act as proton-exchange membranes.

From Science Daily

In this study, the researchers investigated structures that inhibit the migration of fuel molecules through electro-osmotic drag and steric hindrance.

From Science Daily

Owing to steric hindrance by the functional groups, the graphene membrane successfully suppresses the crossover phenomenon by blocking the penetration of the fuel molecules while maintaining high proton conductivity for the first time to the best of our knowledge.

From Science Daily

Here we have determined cryo-EM reconstructions of the nucleolar pre-60S ribosomal subunit in different conformational states at resolutions up to 3.4 Å. These reconstructions reveal how steric hindrance and molecular mimicry are used to prevent both premature folding states and binding of later factors.

From Nature