LIQUID-CRYSTAL PROPERTIES OF METHYL-SUBSTITUTED STILBENES

A series of mono- and di-substituted trans-stilbenes were prepared and their nematic clearing point temperatures observed. There was found to be a direct relationship between the increase in molecular breadth and the lowering of this nematic clearing point temperature. The effect of twisting the stilbenes out of coplanarity does appear to produce a lowering of the nematic clearing point but, the overriding feature is simply the intermolecular separation.