Abstract
Studies show that branching the side chains of hexakis(acoyloxy)-benzenes (HAB) and -cyclohexanes (HAChx) does not modify the structure of the discotic mesophase formed. Shear fields appear to act on entire columns, not on individual discs, thereby causing alignment of columns in the shear direction. X-ray diffraction patterns of samples at temperatures between 30°C and 40°C above the clearing temperature provide evidence for the presence of mesophase order.