Abstract
Dialkyl 2,2′-bipyridine-4,4′-dicarboxylate derivatives are non-mesogenic ligands capable of supporting liquid crystalline phase formation when coordinated with a variety of metals. Herein is described a preliminary study on altering stable temperature ranges of thermotropic mesophases through metal centre selection and ligand modification. Characterisation of non-mesogenic CdL α n Cl2 complexes and mesogenic ReL α n (CO)3Br and PtL β n Cl2 derivatives are presented (L α n is the ligand with α-attachment of alkyl chains, L β n is the ligand with β-attachment of chains and n is the number of carbons in the alkyl chain). Synthetic procedures and characterisation of the products by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, polarising optical microscopy and variable temperature X-ray diffraction are presented.
Acknowledgements
Equipment was provided by the Jesse D. Jones Analytical Laboratory at Murray State University (MSU). PtL β16Cl2 elemental analysis was performed by George W. Kipphut at the Hancock Biological Station, MSU. VT XRD analysis was performed by the RigakuTM Corperation. Funding was provided by the MSU Committee on Institutional Studies and Research (CISR) and a Marshall and Annette Gordon Chemistry Research Grant. The authors are grateful for these contributions.