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Similarly, you may ask, what does E and Z stand for in chemistry?
For an alkene or cycloalkane with E-Z isomers, E means the two groups with the higher priority on the two C atoms for the double bond are on the opposite sides; in contrast, Z means the two groups with the higher priority on the two double bond C atoms are on the same sides.
Moreover, how do you determine if an alkene is E or Z?
- If they are on the same side then it is a (Z)-alkene (German; zusammen = together)
- If they are on opposite sides then it is an (E)-alkene (German; entgegen = opposite)
The E/Z notation is unamibiguous. Z (from the German zusammen) means together and usually corresponds to the term cis; E (from the German entgegen) means opposite and usually corresponds to the term trans. Usually, E isomers are more stable than Z isomers because of steric effects.