The synthesis and liquid crystalline behaviour of 2-(4-n-alkoxyphenyl)-5-methylpyridines

Abstract

We have synthesized a new series of polyphenylene compounds with a pyridine ring, 2-(4-n-alkoxyphenyl)-5-methylpyridines (CH₃C₅H₃NC₆H₄OC _i H_2i1) (1a-i ; the carbon number, i, of the alkoxy group is 1-9), and studied their phase transitions and mesogenicity using DSC and polarizing microscopy. In the homologous series of 1a-i , no mesomorphic phase appeared for i=1-5 and only a monotropic nematic phase was observed for i=6-9. The mesomorphic potential is relatively weaker for the 1a-i than for the 2a-i and 3a-i homologues, which are pyridine-containing three- and four-ring similar systems. This lowering of the mesogenicity may be due to the lack of a phenyl ring between the pyridine ring and the methyl group in the 1a-i homologues.