Abstract
Using X-ray diffraction and dilatometry, we have studied the evolution of the layer spacing and of the volume of CBOOA with decreasing temperature. The results show a small change of behavior in the smectic A phase at about 70°C, which could indicate that the lateral contraction of the molecules is stopped at that temperature. The values of the molecular area we obtained from our data led us to propose a model of bilayer in which the molecules of CBOOA are tilted with respect to the normal plane.