The synthesis and mesomorphism of di-, tetra- and hexa-catenar liquid crystals based on 2,2′-bipyridine

2,2'-Bipyridines are known to coordinate to a wide variety of metal centres. In this paper, liquid-crystalline two-chained (dicatenar), four-chained (tetracatenar) and six-chained(hexacatenar) bipyridines are synthesised and their mesomorphism is described. For the tetracatenar bipyridines, a full homologous series, from tetramethoxy to tetratetradecyloxy, was synthesised, and the phase diagram showed a classic progression from nematic and smectic C phases at short chain length, through a cubic phase to a columnar phase.