Materials easily orientated in a magnetic field: paramagnetic nematic liquid crystal oxovanadium(IV) complexes with bidentate Schiff's bases

Bis-(N-R,4-decyloxybenzoyloxysalicylideneaminato)oxovanadium(IV) complexes (where R = n-CmH2m+1 and m= 1,5,10 or R =–C6H4–O–CmH2m+1 and m= 1,2,5,10) showed a paramagnetic nematic mesophase (except for R = Me), and some complexes also showed smectic phases; the low viscosity of the mesophase allows the easy orientation of the molecules in a magnetic field, the orientation remaining in the state solid.