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Abstract
It is well-established that the presence in amphiphilic molecules of two distinct and incompatible segments leads, in general, to the formation of molecular organizates certain of which exhibit ther-motropic liquid crystalline phases. In the present review the decisive role of amphiphilicity in inducing the formation of thermotropic smectic and columnar mesophases is discussed. Following a brief discussion of the main classes of ionic and nonionic amphiphiles that exhibit thermotropic liquid crystalline character, the emphasis is being placed to amphiphiles bearing multiple hydroxy groups and primarily to those with molecularly recognizable moieties able to form a system of hydrogen bonds. The discussion of this topic, primarily seen from the organic chemistry scope, is hoped to trigger further interest towards the synthesis of novel and unconventional amphiphiles with liquid crystalline properties.