Thermotropic Liquid Crystals Formed by Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding Interactions

The role of hydrogen bonding in the formation or stabilization of liquid crystalline phases has only recently been appreciated. Following the first, wellestablished examples of liquid crystal formation from the dimerization of aromatic carboxylic acids, through hydrogen bonding, several classes of compounds have recently been synthesized, the liquid crystalline behavior of which is also dependent on intermolecular hydrogen bonds between similar or dissimilar molecules. In this review the main classes of compounds exhibiting liquid crystallinity due to hydrogen bonding are presented to show the diversity of organic compounds that can be used as building elements in liquid crystals. The molecules are either of the rigid-rod anisotropic or amphiphilic types such as molecules appropriately functionalized with pyridyl and carboxyl groups, whose interaction leads to the formation of liquid crystals; amphiphilic carbohydrates and amphiphilic and bolaamphiphilic compounds with multiple hydroxyl groups whose dimerization or association is indispensable for the formation of liquid crystals; and certain amphiphilic carboxylic acids with monomeric or polymeric mesogens and amphiphilic-type compounds bearing different moieties, whose interaction may lead to the formation of mesomorphic compounds. Associated with the macroscopic display of liquid crystalline phases is the supramolecular structure, and therefore rather extended discussion of these structures are included in this review.     

The effect of fluorination: a crystallographic and computational study of mesogenic alkyl 4-[2-(perfluorooctyl)ethoxy]benzoates

The series of alkyl 4-[2-(perfluorooctyl)ethoxy]benzoates (F8-n) shows a systematic change of crystal structures depending on the length of the alkyl chain: separate packing of perfluorooctyl (Rf) and alkyl (Rh) chains from each other for shorter (n=2) and longer (n=11) members, alternate packing of Rf and Rh chains for middle (n=6,7) members, and an intermediate type of packing for n=4. Semiempirical MO calculations show slightly repulsive interactions between the Rf chains, and attractive ones between Rf and Rh chains and between Rh and the core of a molecular pair. It is concluded that fluorination determines the molecular shape of the crystal structures by making the chain rigid. It is confirmed that the interactions between Rf chains are small compared with those between other moieties and that they are forced to aggregate owing to the exclusion from other moieties. Thus, the effect is dependent on the geometries and intermolecular interactions of the other moieties.     

Chromium ion incorporation in the crystal structure of BGO

Comprehensive investigations have been performed by EPR and optical spectroscopy for Bi₃GeO₄ crystals doped with chromium ions. It is demonstrated that the known optical absorption spectrum for chromium ions, specifically, the triplet in the region 600–900 nm has an analog in the EPR spectra — the center with electron spin S = 1. The spectrum is described by the spin-Hamiltonian with the parameters D = 550 G, E = 10 G, g _xx = g _yy = 1.915, g _zz = 1.932. The EPR spectrum is dictated by Cr⁴⁺ incorporation at the germanium sites. Luminescence observed in the region 1.2–1.7 μm is also caused by transitions of Cr⁴⁺ with tetrahedral surroundings to germanium sites. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2005 N. V. Chernei, V. A. Nadolinnyi, N. V. Ivannikova, V. A. Gusev, I. N. Kupriyanov, V. N. Shlegel, and Ya. V. Vasiliev __________ Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 444–450, May–June, 2005.     

A new route for synthesizing cholesterol analogs with fluorocarbon side chains and their liquid-crystalline aliphatic esters

A new and efficient route has been developed to synthesize 17β-(1-methyl-3-perfluoroalkyl)propyl-3β-androsterol (1) in nine steps from hyodeoxycholic acid via selective addition of 1-perfluoroalkyl iodide to 24-norchola-5,22-dien-3β-ol. From (1), the first series of steroidal liquid crystalline aliphatic esters (smectic A) with fluorocarbon side chains has been prepared.     

Zur kenntnis ‚Kationen-reicher’︁ Tantalate und Niobate Über Na5TaO5 und Na5NbO5

On Tantalates and Niobates ‘rich in Cations’. On Na₅TaO₅ and Na₅NbO₅ Colourless, transparent single crystals of Na₅TaO₅ [annealed mixtures of Na₂O, Li₂O, and Ta₂O₅, Na : Li : Ta = 6.6 : 1.1 : 1, Ni-cylinder, 1000°C, 75 d] as well as Na₅NbO₅ [annealed mixtures of Na₂O, Li₂O, and Nb₂O₅, Na : Li : Nb = 6.6 : 1.1 : 1, Ni-cylinder, 1000°C, 75 d] have been prepared. Single crystal data show that both isotypic oxides represent a deformed variant of the NaCl-type of structure [Na₅TaO₅: 1154 from 1250 I₀ (hkl), four-cycle diffractometer Philips PW 1100, ω2-θ scan, Ag? Kα , R = 4.88%, space group c2/c with a = 629.3(1) pm, b = 1025.4(2) pm, c = 1004.6(2) pm, b? 106.80(2)°, z = 4 and Na₅NbO₅: 998 from 1247 I₀(hkl), four-cycle diffractometer Philips PW 1100, ω-2θ scan, Ag? Kα , R = 8.58% and R_w = 7.67%, space group C2/2 with a = 629.1(1) pm, b = 1024.4(2) pm, c = 1004.2(2) pm, b? = 106.80(2)°, Z = 4]. The Madelung Part of Lattice Energy, MAPLE, and Effective Coordination Numbers, ECoN, the latter derived from Mean Effective Fictive Ionic Radii, MEFIR, as well as Charge Distribution, CHARDI, are calculated.     

Preparation of Silicalite-1 Within Macroporous Silica Glass

Microcrystalline silicalite-1 was formed on the inner surface of macroporus silica glasses prepared by the sol-gel process. By heating a homogeneous precursor solution at 100°C under a hydrothermal condition, 2–5 m of plate-like particles of silicalite-1 were deposited. With an increase of mixing time of the precursor solution, the number of silicalite-1 particles increased, accompanied by the relative decrease of the particle size. Depending on the temperature and the duration of the heat-treatment of the macroporous silica, the amount of deposited silicalite-1 varied. Below 1000°C, the amount increased with the heat-treatment temperature, as a result of the competition between the precipitation of silicalite-1 and the dissolution of silica from the macroporous silica glass under a strongly basic condition. On the other hand, above 1000°C the amount of deposited silicalite-1 decreased in accordance with the decrease of the macropore diameter by the heat-treatment, because of the limited transport of the dissolved silicate species through the smaller macropores.     

Characterization of structural transitions in the SLS/decanol/water system

The ternary system sodium-dodecylsulphate (SLS)/decanol/water has been investigated at three different water contents and varying ratios of cosurfactant to surfactant by means of polarized optical microscopy,²H-NMR quadrupole splittings and small angle x-ray scattering. Upon addition of decanol a hexagonal phase transforms into a lamellar phase. For the highest water content of 0.65 no intermediate two-phase regions are detected but nematic phases are formed between. The lamellar phase at low cosurfactant content is very sensitive to changes of temperature and seems to be a so-called defective one with curved interfaces. From the scaling behavior it is concluded that the building units seem to be ribbons of increasing width on addition of cosurfactant or amphiphilic substance. By reaching a decanol mole fraction of 0.4 a classical lamellar phase with well-known behavior is formed. During these transformations the position of the first diffraction maximum changes gradually irrespective of phase transitions. The maximum mole fraction of cosurfactant the lamellar phase of our system can incorporate is 0.77.     

Investigations on Chemical Vapour Transport of Intermetallic Phases in the System Co/Fe/Si

The ternary phases existing on the quasi binary section CoSi/FeSi and CoSi₂/β‐FeSi₂ have been investigated by solid state reactions and chemical transport. The solid solution serie Co_xFe_1‐xSi can be described as a regular solution. The transport behaviour calculated is in good agreement with the experiments. The phases have been characterized by X‐ray powder diffraction, EDX and ICP‐OES. The temperature dependence of the resistivity has been measured from 20 K up to room temperature on single crystals.     

The Influence of Intermolecular Interactions on Second-Order Susceptibilities of Molecular Crystals: Application to the m-Nitroaniline Crystal

The effects of intermolecular interactions on the second-order susceptibilities (⁽²⁾) of molecular crystals are studied by using a semiempirical quantum–chemical method. These effects are discussed on the basis of the super-molecular approach. The influence of the electrostatic interactions between adjacent unit cells on the tensor components of ⁽²⁾ was modeled by using the technique of cumulative atomic multipole moments (CAMMs).     

Nuclear quadrupole resonance in 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene

A study of the spin lattice relaxation (T₁) and the nuclear quadrupole resonance frequency (ν_Q) gives an important information about the dynamics of molecular groups in molecular solids. In the present paper, we analyze the contributions of the reorientational motion of nitro groups of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene to the NQR parameters of the chlorine nucleus in the molecule.

We found two contributions to T₁ and ν_Q due to the onset of the reorientation of nitro groups in the molecule; one of these contributions is mostly due to intermolecular effects in the crystal. For the chlorine nuclei, the efficiency of the modulation mechanism is usually provided by the change of the electric field gradient due to the moving molecular group; this gives us a way of how to assign each contribution to T₁ from the ortho and para positions of the NO₂ groups in the molecule. It is observed that there are two different potential barriers depending on the position of the nitro groups in the molecule. The behavior in the temperature dependence of the line width shows a thermal history dependence of the molecular crystal.