Extended‐Core Discotic Liquid Crystals Based on the Intramolecular H‐Bonding in N‐Acylated 2,2′‐Bipyridine‐3,3′‐diamine Moieties

A new type of disc-shaped molecule (1 a-c) has been synthesised and characterised. The molecules were built up by linking three lipophilic, N-monoacylated 2,2'-bipyridine-3,3'-diamine wedges to a central 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl unit. They show liquid crystalline behaviour, as shown by DSC, polarisation microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In all cases the mesophase was characterised as a Dho phase. From (1) H NMR results it was shown that the interior of compounds 1 a-c preferentially adopts a C3 symmetrical conformation owing to strong intramolecular H-bonding, which gives rise to an extended core. This large core induces strong interactions between molecules, leading to mesophases of enhanced thermal stability.