One phasmid and fourteen biforked mesogens with thiobenzoate end group
s have been synthesized and studied. The phasmid displays a hexagonal
columnar phase with a lattice parameter a = 45.5 angstrom at 70-degree
s-C. This phase is not observed for the biforked mesogens which exhibi
t only a nematic phase, a smectic C phase for short chains and an unkn
own phase for long chains. The tilt angle of the molecules in the smec
tic C phase is about 50-degrees (the layer thickness is 38.2 angstrom
for a molecular length l = 61 angstrom in the case of IA (n = 12). The
crystal structure of compound IB (n = 12) is monoclinic and the molec
ules adopt a zigzag form.