Adeka Argus Chemical Co., Ltd.

Asahi Denka Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Citizen Watch Company, Ltd.

Masaki Kimura

Toshihiro Shibata

Norio Kurosawa

Kunio Ogasawara

Seiichi Takano

Tomijiro Naito

Toshiro Yukinari

Yukari Shinada

Yumiko Sato

An optically active compound of the formula (I): ##STR1## R is a halogen atom, a cyano group, an alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, --R' or --O--R' group; R' is a ##STR2## group, wherein Y is a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms or an acyloxy group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms; X is a direct bond or a ##STR3## group; m, n and p each are each 0 or 1, provided that at least one of m, n and p is 1; and , represents an asymetric carbon atom. The optically active compound can impart a desired helical pitch to a liquid crystal composition

Optically active compound

A nematic liquid crystal composition comprising at least one member selected from 4-alkyl- or 4-alkoxy-benzoic acids represented by the following general formula (I) , particularly a nematic liquid crystal composition comprising a carboxylic acid mixture composed of at least one member selected from 4-alkyl- or 4-alkoxy-benzoic acids represented by the following general formula (I) and at least one member selected from 4-alkylcyclohexanecarboxylic acids represented by the following general formula (IV): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 stands for an alkyl or alkoxy group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms and R.sub.4 stands for an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms.

Liquid crystal composition

An optically active compound of the formula (I): ##STR1## R is a halogen atom, a cyano group, an alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms --R' or --O--R' group; R' is a ##STR2## group, wherein Y is a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms or an acyloxy group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms; X is a direct bond or a ##STR3## group; m, n and p each are each 0 or 1, provided that at least one of m, n and p is 1; and * represents an asymetric carbon atom. The optically active compound can impart a desired helical pitch to a liquid crystal composition.

An optically active ester compound useful as a component of a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition is represented by the following formula: ##STR1## wherein R is C.sub.1-18 alkyl or C.sub.1-18 alkoxyl; R' is C.sub.1-18 alkyl or C.sub.1-18 haloalkyl; and ##STR2##

Optically active ester compound and liquid crystal composition

The present invention discloses an optically active pyrimidine compound represented by the following general formula: ##STR1## wherein, n is 3 to 5; X is hydrogen atom or chlorine atom; when X is hydrogen atom, R.sub.1 is normal alkyl having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms and when X is chlorine atom, R.sub.1 is hydrogen atom or normal alkyl having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms; R.sub.2 is normal alkyl having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms; and C* represents an asymmetric carbon atom.

Pyrimidine compounds and their use as liquid crystals

An optically active compound useful as a component of a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition represented by the following general formula (I) and a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition containing the same: ##STR1## wherein R stands for a C.sub.1.about.18 alkyl group; R' stands for a C.sub.1.about.18 alkyl group which may be substituted or an aryl group; X stands for ##STR2## or --O-- and an asterisk refers to an optically active carbon atom.

Optically active compound and liquid crystal composition containing the

An optically active ester of the formula ##STR1## wherein p is 0 or 1, q is 1 or 2, r is 1 or 2, q+r is 3, and s is 0 or 1. R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 in the above formula are each independently selected from the group consisting of C.sub.6-18 straight chain alkyl and an optically active group of the formula ##STR2## and in which m is 2 to 5, n is 1 or 2, X is hydrogen or chlorine, R.sub.3 is hydrogen or C.sub.1-11 straight chain alkyl, and C.sup.* represents a chiral carbon atom, with the proviso that when n is 1 and X is hydrogen, R.sub.3 is C.sub.1-11 straight chain alkyl. When q is 2 and r is 1 and R.sub.1 is C.sub.6-18 straight chain alkyl, p is 1; on the other hand, when q is 1 and r is 2 and R.sub.2 is an optically active group of the above formula, s is 1. One of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 is an optically active group of the above formula, and the other of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 is C.sub.6-18 straight chain alkyl.

Optically active ester compound

The present invention discloses an optically active cyanobiphenyl compound represented by the following general formula: ##STR1## wherein, R is ##STR2## X is hydrogen atom or chlorine atom: when X is hydrogen atom, R.sub.1 is normal alkyl having from 1 to 11 carbon atoms and when X is chlorine atom, R.sub.1 is hydrogen atom or normal alkyl having from 1 to 11 carbon atoms; n is 3 to 5; Y is --CH.sub.2 --or --CO--; and * represents an asymmetric carbon atom.

Optically active cyanobiphenyl compound

An optically active ester compound is provided represented by the following general formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is a normal alkyl group having from 6 to 18 carbon atoms; m is zero or one, n is zero or one, and m+n is one or two; X is --CO--O-- or --O--CO--; p is 3 to 6; Y is a hydrogen atom or chlorine atom; R.sub.2 is hydrogen or a normal alkyl group having from 1 to 11 carbon atoms but may be a hydrogen atom only when Y is a chlorine atom; and *C represents an asymmetric carbon atom. The ester compound of the present invention is useful as a ferroelectric liquid crystal compound.

The present invention discloses an optically active pyrimidine compound represented by the following general formula: ##STR1## wherein m is 3 to 14

Pyrimidine compound

The present invention discloses an optically active pyrimidine compound represented by the following general formula: ##STR1## wherein m is 1 to 12;

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Urawa, Japan

Masaki Kimura