Effect of molecular structure on the phase behaviour of some liquid crystalline compounds and their mixtures XI. Binary mixtures of unsymmetrical 1,4-phenylene bis-(4-substituted benzoates)

Binary mixtures formed from components of the four series of unsymmetrical 1,4-phenylene bis-4-substituted benzoates, in which one substituent is a terminal alkoxy group with a number of carbon atoms kept constant (at n =6, 8, 14 and 16) while the other substituent (X) ranges through CH₃O, CH₃, Cl, CN and NO₂, were prepared and characterized for their mesophase behaviour. Transition temperatures of the mixtures prepared were measured by differential scanning calorimetry and identified by polarizing optical microscopy. Phase diagrams for the various binary combinations were constructed to investigate the dependence of the phase behaviour of mixed systems upon the electronic nature of the terminal group X, as well as on the chain length of the alkoxy group. The results are discussed in terms of mesomeric and polarizability effects.     

Novel chiral liquid crystals based on amides and azo compounds derived from 2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazoles: synthesis and mesomorphic properties

Novel chiral amides (Ia-Ie, II) and azo compounds (III, IV) with a 1,3,4-thiadiazole unit in the rigid core were synthesized and their liquid crystalline properties investigated by polarizing optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The amides Ia-Ie contain a chiral alkoxy chain derived from (R)-2-octanol and an achiral chain varying from 6 to 10 carbon atoms at the end of the rigid core. In amide II one of the terminal group is a chiral alkoxy chain derived from (S)-isoleucine and the other terminal substituent is an achiral n-decyloxy chain. Azo compounds III and IV contain an achiral n-decyloxy chain and a chiral alkoxy chain derived from (R)-2-octanol and (S)-isoleucine, respectively, at the end of the rigid core. The first homologue in the series of amides (Ia) exhibits enantiotropic smectic X (SmX)-chiral nematic (N*) dimorphism and the homologues Ib-Ie display enantiotropic SmX-chiral smectic C (SmC*)-N* mesomorphism. Amide II displays an enantiotropic smectic A phase. The azo compounds III and IV do not show smectic order and only an enantiotropic N* phase was observed. Thus, the mesomorphic behaviour depends on the nature of the central linkage and on the nature of the chiral alkoxy chain.     

Effect of molecular structure on the phase behaviour of some liquid crystalline compounds and their mixtures XIV. Binary mixtures of 4-(4-substituted phenylazo) phenyl-4-alkoxybenzoates

Binary mixtures formed from components of the five homologous series of the 4-(4-substituted phenylazo)phenyl-4-alkoxybenzoates Ia-e were prepared and their mesophase behaviour characterized. Transition temperatures of the mixtures prepared were measured by differential scanning calorimetry and identified by polarizing optical microscopy. Each binary combination was made from components bearing a terminal alkoxy group with the same number of carbon atoms (kept constant at n = 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16), while the other substituent (X) was different—CH₃O, CH₃, Cl, NO₂, or CN. Phase diagrams were constructed for the various systems in order to investigate the effect of the terminal substituent X, as well as of the alkoxy chain length, on the phase behaviour of mixed systems.     

Synthesis and thermal behaviour of salicylaldimine-based liquid crystalline symmetrical dimers

A series of symmetrical dimers consisting of salicylaldimine moieties connected by flexible alkylene central spacer via ether linkages has been synthesized. In order to validate the empirical rule suggested by Date et al. to account for the smectic behaviour of such dimers, the chain length of the terminal alkoxy chain has been kept constant (C₈) while the number of methylene units in the central spacer was varied from C₃ to C₁₁. Another aim of the present investigation was to understand structure-property relationship in these dimers in which the salicylaldimine mesogenic segment has been used for the first time in dimers. The mesomorphic behaviour of these dimers was evaluated using optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry and the structure of some of the mesophases has been further investigated with the help of X-ray diffraction. Our studies reveal that the dimers consisting of 3 to 8 methylene units in the flexible spacer show only smectic (smectic C and smectic A) phases. For the dimers containing 4, 6 and 8 methylene units in the central spacer, a unique filament growth pattern has been observed in the smectic A phase while cooling from the isotropic phase. The dimers containing of C₉ to C₁₁ methylene groups exhibit the nematic phase in addition to smectic modifications. This observation indicates that when the terminal chains are shorter than the spacer, the tendency to form smectic phases is not fully extinguished but is perhaps reduced.     

Phase behaviour of binary mixtures of 4-substituted phenyl 4'-n-alkoxybenzoates

Five homologous series Ia-e, of the title compounds have been prepared and investigated for their mesophase behaviour in binary mixtures. Each series differs from the other by a substituent X, which changes between CH₃O, CH₃, Cl, CN, and NO₂. The number of carbons in the terminal alkoxy group, within a homologous series, varies between 6, 8, 14, and 16. All possible binary combinations, made from any two components bearing an alkoxy group of the same chain length but two different substituents X, were prepared and similarly characterized for their phase behaviour. Transition temperatures of the mixtures were measured by differential scanning calorimetry and identified by polarizing optical microscopy. Phase diagrams were constructed for the various binary systems and discussed in terms of electronic effects.     

Highly conjugated 4-ring nematic liquid crystals with a lateral alkoxy branch

Three types of liquid crystalline compound containing a 4-ring mesogenic core with a lateral alkoxy chain on one of the inner rings were synthesized, and their mesogenic properties studied. The 4-ring core of these compounds bears an electron-accepting nitro group at one end and an electron-donating alkylamino moiety at or near the other end. Therefore, they are highly coloured and have lambda max 473 nm. One of these three types of compound has a wide enantiotropic nematic range. Twelve homologous analogues in this series with different lengths for the terminal alkyl chain and the lateral alkoxy chain were synthesized and compared.     

Synthesis and mesomorphic properties of new liquid crystalline stilbene derivatives containing vinyloxyalkoxy chains

New liquid crystalline stilbene derivatives containing vinyloxyalkoxy chains 1 (n=5, 7, 9, 11) have been synthesised. Their mesomorphic properties have been studied by polarising optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. It is interesting to note that even their alcohol precursors showed liquid crystalline behaviour. The effect of terminal alkoxy chain length and UV irradiation on the mesomorphic behaviour is discussed.     

New 1,2,4- and 1,3,4-oxadiazole materials: synthesis, and mesomorphic and luminescence properties

The synthesis and liquid crystalline properties of new series of 1,2,4- and 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives (2a-f and 5a-f respectively) are reported. These compounds contain only one terminal flexible alkoxy chain, the other terminal substituent is a protecting benzyl group. All compounds of series 2 exhibit an enantiotropic nematic phase. The homologue with the longest chain (2f) displays an enantiotropic dimorphism smectic A- nematic. None of the compounds of series 5 shows mesomorphism and only crystal-isotropic transitions were observed. The liquid crystalline properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy and X-ray measurements. Luminescence properties, in chloroform solution, of 2f and the series 5 compounds were evaluated. Good photoluminescence quantum yields for compounds of series 5 were observed. Compound 2f, incorporating the 1,2,4-oxadiazole ring shows a very strong reduction in emissive properties.     

Mesogenic Unsymmetric dimers containing cholesteryl ester and tolane moieties

Among unsymmetric oligomesogens, chiral dimers formed by connecting a cholesteryl ester fragment with various aromatic mesogenic cores through a polymethylene spacer have been attracting much attention due to their remarkable thermal behaviour. In particular, dimers containing a diphenylacetylene segment having an alkoxy chain have shown interesting mesomorphic behaviour. In view of this a new series of unsymmetric dimers consisting of a diphenylacetylene moiety having an alkyl chain and a cholesteryl ester unit joined through a paraffinic spacer have been synthesized and their liquid crystalline properties characterized. The lengths of the central methylene spacer (C₃, C₄, C₅ and C₇) as well as that of the alkyl chain (n-butyl, n-pentyl, n-hexyl and n-heptyl) have been varied to establish structure-property relationships. These investigations have revealed that all the dimers exhibit smectic A, twist grain boundary and chiral neamtic (N*) phases with the exception of one of the dimers for which only the N* phase was observed. Some differences in the mesomorphic properties of the unsymmetric dimers containing odd or even parity methylene spacers have been observed. The majority of dimers having an even (C₄) parity paraffinic spacer show a blue phase while the dimers with odd (C₃, C₅ and C₇) parity spacers exhibit the chiral smectic (SmC*) phase. In some cases, the SmC* phase exists well below (-60°C) and above room temperature.     

Synthesis of Aminoalkyl-substituted Polymethoxychalcone Derivatives and Their Antiproliferative Activities Against Three Human Cancer Cell Lines

Two novel series of sixteen aminoalkyl-substituted polymethoxychalcone derivatives 2a-2h and 3a-3h were synthesized from 2'-hydroxy-3,4,5,4',6'-pentamethoxy chalcone(1) through extending alkoxy side chain at the 2'-position, and introducing amine hydrogen bond receptor at the end of the side chain. The structures of all the synthesized compounds were confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and MS techniques. Furthermore, all the compounds were tested for antiproliferative activities in vitro against a panel of three human cell lines(HeLa, HCC1954 and SK-OV-3) via CCK-8 assay. The results show that all the target compounds exhibit antiproliferative activities against the three human cancer cells with IC₅₀ values of 4.62-48.21 μmol/L, except compound 2h against SK-OV-3 cells. Most of these compounds were more active when compared to the positive control cis-Platin.     

Cholesteric helix inversion: Novel nitro compounds showing unusual changes of the cholesteric helical pitch

We present a homologeous series of liquid crystalline trioxadecalin compounds having a terminal alkoxy chain and a nitro group. The (1S, 3R, 6R,8R)-3-(4'-nitrophenyl)-8-(4'-octoxyphenyl)-2,4, 7-trioxabicyclo [4.4.0]decane 2 c shows a temperature-dependent inversion of the cholesteric helix at lower temperatures. For higher temperatures, the reciprocal helical pitch reaches a minimum, then it increases, tending to a second inversion point just above the clearing point. An additional chiral centre in the side chain leads for nitro compounds 3 to non-mesomorphic behaviour. For the cyano compounds 4, the change in the cholesteric helix is suppressed, for the R configuration, but for the S configuration helical inversion occurs at high temperatures and selective reflection above the transition to the TGB_A phase.     

Liquid crystalline properties of salicylaldimine-based dimers: influence of terminal alkyl chain length and central part

The synthesis and thermotropic properties of four homologous series of salicylaldimine-based dimer liquid crystals are reported. Two 4-(4-alkoxy-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)benzoyloxy groups are connected to a central part consisting of a 1,3-phenylene, 1,5-pentylene, 2,2-dimethyl-1,5-pentylene or 3,3-dimethyl-1,5-pentylene unit. The terminal alkoxy chains have been varied from 4 to 16 carbon atoms in length. All the compounds exhibit liquid crystalline phases whose behaviour depends on the nature of the central part and the length of the alkoxy terminal chains. All compounds of the series with the central phenyl part exhibit enantiotropic B-phases, and the sequence B₆-B₁-B₂ on increasing terminal chain length was observed. Replacement of the phenyl group with a pentyl central group partly suppresses the formation of B-phases. The longer homologues of this series show the B₁ phase, while the shorter exhibit an intercalated SmC_c mesophase. The introduction of methyl substituents to the pentyl spacer causes the melting points to fall dramatically and the formation of B-phases is totally suppressed. The compounds with the long tails show intercalated SmA_c phases and those with short tails show intercalated SmC_c phases.     

Dimesogenic compounds consisting of cholesterol and azobenzene-based moieties: dependence of liquid crystal properties on spacer length and fluorination of the terminal chain

The liquid crystalline (LC) properties of two series of non-symmetric dimesogenic compounds consisting of cholesterol and azobenzene-based moieties interconnected by ω-oxyalkanoyl spacers of varying length are compared: one series (AOC-n) has an octyloxy chain attached to the azobenzene mesogen unit while the other (AOCF-n) has a perfluoroheptylmethyloxy chain. In general, compounds bearing the fluorinated alkoxy chain exhibited LC properties over a much broader temperature range than those with the alkoxy chain. In addition, the AOC-n series exhibited the chiral smectic C (SmC*), smectic A (SmA) and cholesteric (N*) phases depending on the length of the central spacer, whereas the AOCF-n series favoured the formation of only the SmA phase with the N* phase completely suppressed. Both series showed an odd-even dependence of the isotropization temperature on spacer length.     

Dielectric studies of a laterally-linked siloxane ester dimer

This paper reports measurements of the dielectric response over the frequency range 10² to 10⁹ Hz of a liquid crystal dimer consisting of two ester mesogens laterally linked by an alkoxy chain containing a siloxane group. The synthesis and phase behaviour of the siloxane dimer are also reported. Results show that there are two relaxations in the isotropic phase and four in the nematic phase of the material. The possible molecular origins for these modes are given. It is found that there is a coupling between internal and external modes which gives rise to a cooperative mode as the temperature in the nematic phase is lowered towards a glass transition.     

A new family of four-ring bent-core nematic liquid crystals with a highly polar end-group

A new family of four-ring achiral bent-core compounds derived from 2-methyl 3-amino benzoic acid with the methyl group in the bent direction incorporated into the central core have been designed and synthesised. These compounds possess an alkoxy chain attached at only one end of the bent core molecule, while the other arm consists of a biphenyl moiety possessing a highly polar cyano-group. The molecular structure has been confirmed by elemental analysis and spectroscopic data, and the thermal behaviour and phase characterisation has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and polarising microscopy. All the compounds exhibit a wide-range enantiotropic nematic phase. A comparison with non-mesomorphic unsubstituted and 4-methyl-substituted homologues is also presented.     

Conformation Analysis and Thermodynamics of Binding Behavior of DABCO to p/p type Dimeric Porphyrin Hosts

Covalently linked metalloporphyrin dimers have attracted considerably interest among chemists as models for metalloenzymes, which derive from their remarkable electron, energy transfer and special conformation properties1,2. Metalloporphyrins with large cavities have been designed and assembled with the idea of creating multisite complexing hosts incorporating functionalized subunits for binding organic substrates and transition metals so as to mimic metalloenzymes, as well as supermolecular ph…     

Unsymmetrical dimers possessing a cholesteryl ester moiety and a difluoro-substituted biphenyl core: synthesis and mesomorphic behaviour

Some new unsymmetrical dimers consisting of a cholesteryl ester moiety, covalently linked to either a 4'-(2,3-difluoro-4-n-octyloxy) biphenyloxy or a 4'-(2,3-difluoro-4-n-decyloxy) biphenyloxy through odd-even parity paraffinic central spacers, have been synthesized and investigated for their mesomorphic behaviour. Except for one, all the dimers exhibit enantiotropic smectic A, twist grain boundary (TGB) and chiral nematic mesophases. Five of the eight unsymmetrical dimers synthesized show a chiral smectic C (SmC*) phase. Interestingly in some of the compounds the SmC* exists over a wide temperature range including room temperature. Among the eight compounds, a dimer having a C₇ central paraffinic spacer and a C₈ alkoxy terminal chain shows an enantiotropic twist grain boundary with SmC* blocks (TGB_C*) phase. It appears that the variation in the length of the spacer has a remarkable influence on the phase transition temperatures as well as on the mesomorphic behaviour.     

烷氧基锌酞菁的二聚性质研究

四吡咯环的金属络合物(如叶绿素、脱镁叶绿素等)是植物中构成光合作用反应中心的重要化合物,它们通过光诱导电子转移过程产生高效率的电荷分离态^[1]。 .     

Mesophase behaviour and thermal stability of octa-alkoxy substituted phthalocyaninatocobalt (II) complexes

Cobalt (II) phthalocyanines substituted with eight alkoxy chains in the peripheral (2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24) positions were prepared. The alkoxy chain length was varied between n-butyloxy (C₄H₉O) and n-octadecyloxy (C₁₈H₃₇O). Studies by polarizing optical microscopy and high temperature X-ray diffraction revealed that all the complexes are liquid crystalline and that they exhibit a hexagonal columnar mesophase (Col_h). Transition enthalpies were determined by differential scanning calorimetry. The clearing point could only be observed for compounds with a chain length longer than C₁₃H₂₇O. Both the melting and clearing points decrease with increasing chain length. The transition temperatures of these discotic metallomesogens are higher than those of the corresponding metal-free phthalocyanines, but are comparable with those of the corresponding copper (II) compounds. The thermal decomposition of the compounds was studied by thermogravimetry.     

Cubic phases of binary systems of 4'-n-tetradecyloxy-3'-nitrobiphenyl-4-carboxylic acid (ANBC-14)-n-alkane

The phase behaviour of the binary systems 4'-ⁿ-tetradecyloxy-3'-nitrobiphenyl-4-carboxylic acid (ANBC-14)-ⁿ-alkane (ⁿ-tetradecane or ⁿ-hexadecane) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The phase behaviour was a function of temperature (^T) and the effective carbon number of the system (^n*), where ^n* involves carbon atoms both from the alkoxy group of ANBC-14 and from the ⁿ-alkane added. ANBC-14 shows no cubic phase, but the addition of ⁿ-alkane induced cubic phases when ^n*≧c. 15. An interesting point is that the type of cubic phase is ^Ia3^d for 15^≦n*≦17, while an ^Im3^m type is formed for 18^≦n*≦20. Furthermore, for ^n* = 22, two types of cubic phase, one with ^Im3^m symmetry in the low temperature region and the other with ^Ia3^d in the high temperature region, were observed both on heating and cooling. The phase diagram with respect to ^T and ^n* is very similar to that of pure one-component ANBC-ⁿ, which is a function of ^T and the number of carbon atoms in the alkoxy group ⁿ.