From mushroom alcohol to liquid crystals: a useful platform molecule

The syntheses and liquid crystal properties of two novel esters derived from 4-(4-(decyloxy)phenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylic acid and either (±)-oct-1-en-3-yl 4?-hydroxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate or (S)-(+)-oct-1-en-3-yl 4?-hydroxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate are reported. Within the synthesis of the (S)-(+)-oct-1-en-3-yl 4?-hydroxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate, mushroom alcohol, a natural source of chiral oct-1-en-3-ol and a platform molecule, was employed. The phases present within these compounds have been characterised by thermal optical polarising microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry and assigned as SmA, SmC and SmC Alt for the racemic compound and; SmA, SmC* and SmC*_A for the enantiomerically pure compound. This is first reported occurrence of a liquid crystalline ester derived from mushroom alcohol, and potential platform molecule, exhibiting SmA*, SmC* and SmC*_A phases.