PARAMAGNETIC NEMATIC LIQUID-CRYSTALS WITH AN IRON CORE

Metal-containing liquid crystals are of great current interest due to their interesting electrooptic and magnetic properties. Paramagnetic l iquid crystals, whose director can be oriented parallel or perpendicul ar to a magnetic field are particularly interesting and examples have been synthesized containing copper and vanadium. Here, examples of the se materials containing iron(III) are reported and are found to exhibi t a paramagnetic nematic mesophase and, in some cases,a smectic C phas e as well.