This paper deals with the synthesis of vanadyl phthalocyanines substituted with eight alkoxy chains in the peripheral (2,3, 9, 10,16, 17, 23, 24 ) positions. The alkoxy chain length was varied, and octa-octyloxy (C8H17O), octa-dodecyloxy (C12H25O) and octa-hexadecyloxy (C16H33O) substituted vanadyl phthalocyanine complexes were prepared. Studies by polarizing optical microscopy and small angle X-ray di V raction (XRD) revealed that all the complexes are liquid crystalline and that these metallomesogens exhibit a columnar phase. The symmetry of the 2D lattice is rectangular, with a c 2 mm space group, as determined by the indexation of the XRD re ections; hence a rectangular columnar phase (Colr ) was assigned. A double periodicity, although weak, along the axis of the columns was found, which indicates some degree of pairing or dimerization. A tentative explanation based on an antiferroelectric stacking is given. Transition enthalpies were determined by di V erential scanning calorimetry. The compounds start to decompose above 250 ß C before reaching the clearing temperatures. A signi cant bathochromic shift of the Q-band in the UV/Vis spectra of the vanadyl complexes compared with the metal-free ligands and other metallophthalocyanines (M = Co
II
, Ni
II
, Cu
II
, ZnII ) was also observed.