Wedge: A symbol used to
indicate the position of a
bond
or
group
relative to the plane of the paper or screen. A solid wedge
indicates this
bond
or
group
is projecting out towards the viewer. A broken (hashed) wedge
indicates this
bond
or
group
is receding away from the viewer.
The carbon-hydrogen
bond
on the solid red wedge is pointing out of your computer screen
towards you. The carbon-carbon
bond
on the blue broken wedge is receding away from you. The
bonds
represented by regular lines (i.e., not shown with wedges) lie in
the plane of your computer screen. Compare the image shown here
with a
molecular
model from your model kit of the same
molecule
to help visualize the meaning of the wedges.
