The influence of the liquid crystalline core geometry on the mesogenicity of novel chiral 2-(4-substituted-phenoxy)propanonitriles

The synthesis and characterization of seven novel (R)-2-(4-substituted-phenoxy)propanonitriles are described. The propanonitriles were prepared to evaluate their potential use as thermochromics and ferroelectric dopants, as well as to determine their twist sense properties. The materials exhibit smectic and chiral nematic phases of high thermal stability; the mesogenic behaviour of the nitriles is directly related to the type of two-ring core unit employed. The effects of the different molecular geometries and polarizabilities of the liquid crystalline cores on mesophase stability are discussed, particularly in relation to other members of this series. The chiral nematic phase of the propanonitriles is assigned as having a left-handed twist sense from contact preparation studies, and this is in agreement with rules relating absolute configuration and molecular structure to helical twist sense.     

Kaon production in\bar pp interactions at c.m. energies from 200 to 900 GeV

A detailed analysis ofK _s ⁰ production in \(\bar pp\) |<2.5 the average transverse momentum is found to be 0.53±0.07 GeV/c at 200 GeV and 0.62±0.08 GeV/c at 900 GeV, which is an increase with respect to data at c.m. energies below 60 GeV. TheK _s ⁰ production cross sections in inelastic collisions are 29±4 mb at 200 GeV and 63±6 mb at 900 GeV, showing an increase compared to lower energy data. The central kaon density is found to increase as a logarithmic function of energy. At 900 GeV, where statistics are sufficient to allow one to draw conclusions, the average transverse momentum is higher in events with large charged multiplicity than in events with low multiplicity.