Two new types of potential liquid-crystalline azo compounds were synthesized in the form of racemic mixtures and as the individual S enantiomers. Both materials consisting of two substituted aromatic rings in the molecular core and one chiral center at the aliphatic moiety showed mesomorphic behavior. The separation of the R and S enantiomers by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography was unsuccessful when the azo compounds were in their natural E state. However, the irradiation of the compounds in the solution by UV light led to an almost quantitative transition to their Z forms. The chromatographic behavior of the compounds in their Z forms was significantly different, and partial separation of the individual enantiomers on chiral polysaccharide-based stationary phases was obtained. Thus, the proposed procedure represents a novel approach to the enantioseparation of chiral diazenes.
Two new groups of azobenzene ester derivatives were synthesised: alkyl 4-[4-(nonyloxy)phenyl]diazenyl]benzoates and 4-[4-(nonyloxy)phenyl]diazenyl]phenyl alkanoates. All 35 presented homologues are mesogenic. Moreover, some of the above-mentioned compounds exhibit rich liquid-crystalline polymorphism likewise tetramorphism. During this investigation by the use of polarising optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-Ray studies, six types of mesophases were detected: nematic, smectics (A, C, I, F) and G. Furthermore, due to the presence of the photosensitive azo moiety, the E-Z isomerisation reaction is possible. This process, which is initiated by the UV irradiation, causes significant changes in the UV-Vis absorption spectra of investigated compounds. However, the photoisomerisation is a reversible process and in the dark the thermal relaxation of Z isomer takes place. Based on the achieved data, the kinetic constants of the isomerisation and relaxation processes were calculated. It shows that conversion of the ester bond makes some changes in the optical properties. The shift of about 7 nm of the absorbance maximum was observed. Surprisingly, the inversion of the ester group has significant influence on the liquid-crystalline polymorphism replacing one mesophase (for benzoates) into four (for alkanoates).
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