Complexes of molecular iodine with alkoxystilbazoles are liquid crystals with unusually high mesophase stability, predicated on an intermolecular I···I contact. Attempts to prepare analogous complexes with bromine led to an unexpected electrophilic substitution product.

A new series of Schiff base esters, 4-(dimethylamino)benzylidene-4 0 -alkanoyloxyanilines containing even number of carbons at the end group of the molecules (C nÀ1 H 2nÀ1 COO, n = 6,8,10,12,14,16, 18) were synthesized. The present compounds were monotropic liquid crystals. It was also found that the end groups of the molecules had effect on the mesomorphic properties.

48 new hydrogen-bonded complexes have been prepared by combining 16 fluorophenols of general formula C(6)F(n)H(5-n)OH with three different alkoxystilbazoles (butyloxy-, octyloxy- and dodecyloxy-). Single-crystal X-ray structures were obtained for 10 of the 16 complexes of octyloxystilbazole from which it was found that most of the structures could be collected into one of two groups according to both the motif shown by the complex and by the solid-state packing. Because all but one crystallised in the P1 space group, meaningful comparisons could be drawn and it was observed that six structures were extremely close in nature so that significant molecular overlap was found. On this basis, doubt is cast on the significance of some of the weaker intermolecular contacts found in the solid state. 40 of the new complexes showed liquid-crystal properties and it was found that although complexes of butyloxystilbazole were all nematic, almost all of those with dodecyloxystilbazole showed a smectic A (SmA) phase. Complexes of octyloxystilbazole showed a mixture of both. Structure/property correlations showed that clearing points were independent of the pK(a) of the phenol. The most stable mesophases were found when the fluorophenol contained a fluorine at the 2-position, which was interpreted in terms of the formation of an intramolecular H⋅⋅⋅F hydrogen bond to give a six-membered ring linking the two components into a stable, coplanar conformation. The least stable mesophases were found when no such ring formation was possible and the phenol was relatively free to move.

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