The conformational analysis of 2-phenylsulfinylcyclohexanone by ab initio density functional calculations is described. Six conformations corresponding to axial/equatorial isomers and rotation about the exocyclic C2S bond in each of the RR or RS diastereomers were calculated and the results were examined in terms of relative energies, electrostatic interactions, orbital interactions, and geometrical variations. The global minimum conformation was the RS isomer that positioned the phenylsulfinyl moiety in an equatorial orientation and the sulfinyl oxygen in an anti orientation with respect to the carbonyl carbon atom. Of the other three low energy conformations, only one had a gauche arrangement of these atoms, and only in one of the four lower energy conformations was evidence found for a S-O()···C(+)-O electrostatic interaction. In contrast, the results were consistent with the operation of nS → [Formula: see text] stabilizing orbital interactions. Further support for this hypothesis was obtained from the increased C=O bond lengths in these four conformations relative to the other conformations, and by the torsional angle distortion away from ideal geometry, presumably to maximize the stabilizing orbital interaction. We propose that this conformational preference is a manifestation of a generalized exo-anomeric effect. The longer C2S bond in the axial isomers was also interpreted in terms of a stabilizing πC=O → [Formula: see text] interaction, analogous to an endo-anomeric interaction. Comparison of the computational results to available experimental data on the conformational equilibrium of each diastereomer in solution suggests which conformers are present in each of the equilibria. The available data for the solid state indicate that the RR and RS isomers both crystallize in high energy conformations, stabilized by intermolecular interactions.Key words: 2-phenylsulfinylcyclohexanones, configurational isomers, conformational preferences, DFT calculations, exo-anomeric effect.