The assessment of the relative energies (or thermodynamic stabilities), reactivities, and physical properties of alternative conformations of a molecular entity, usually by the application of qualitative or semi-quantitative rules or by semi-empirical calculations.
Source:
PAC, 1996, 68, 2193. 'Basic terminology of stereochemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)' on page 2204 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668122193)