CHIRALITY AND FRUSTRATION IN ORDERED FLUIDS

Chirality in liquid crystal systems is a complex and sometimes difficu lt concept to understand and appreciate. In this article we review som e of the reduced symmetry aspects of calamitic liquid crystal phases w ith reference to point symmetry, space symmetry, and helicity. We util ize these concepts in the discussion of new results obtained on Twist Grain Boundary phases, inversions in chiral dependent properties such as the helicity in cholesteric and smectic C phases and the spontaneo us polarization in ferroelectric liquid crystals, and antiferroelectri c behaviour in low molar mass systems. Our observations suggest that m any novel effects found in chiral liquid crystals are a result of conf licts between the effects of reduced symmetry and the desire to form n ormal liquid-crystalline structures, i.e., a form of frustration exist s.