A variety of alkoxythiophenes have been synthesized that represent ideal su
bunits for the synthesis of a new class of thermotropic liquid crystals via
palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions and organometallic derivatiza
tion. The methodology used represents the first highly efficient synthesis
of alkoxythiophenes unlike previous pathways that have presented serious sy
nthetic difficulties when the alkoxy chain consisted of more than four carb
on atoms. The scope of the new procedure (relative to liquid crystalline in
termediates) is presented and is compared and contrasted with the current l
iterature.