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Spontaneous Achiral Symmetry Breaking in Liquid Crystalline Phases

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Book cover Liquid Crystals

Part of the book series: Topics in Current Chemistry ((TOPCURRCHEM,volume 318))

Abstract

It is well known that spontaneous deracemization or spontaneous chiral resolution occasionally occurs when racemic molecules are crystallized. However, it is not easy to believe such phenomenon will occur when forming liquid crystal phases. Spontaneous chiral domain formation is introduced, when molecules form particular liquid crystal phases. Such molecules possess no chiral carbon but may have axial chirality. However, the potential barrier between two chiral states is low enough to allow mutual transformation even at room temperature. Therefore the systems are essentially not racemic but nonchiral or achiral. First, enhanced chirality by doping chiral nematic liquid crystals with nonchiral molecules is described. Emphasis is made on ester molecules for their anomalous behavior. Second, spontaneous chiral resolution is discussed. Three examples with rod-, bent-, and disk-shaped molecules are shown to give such phenomena. Particular attention will be paid to controlling enantiomeric excess (ee). Actually, almost 100% ee was obtained by applying some external chiral stimuli. This is very noteworthy in the sense that we can create chiral molecules (chiral field) without using any chiral species.

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  1. Department of Organic and Polymeric Materials, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8552, Japan

    H. Takezoe

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  1. , Institute of Chemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenber, Kurt Mothes Str. 2, Halle/Saale, 06120, Germany

    Carsten Tschierske

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Takezoe, H. (2011). Spontaneous Achiral Symmetry Breaking in Liquid Crystalline Phases. In: Tschierske, C. (eds) Liquid Crystals. Topics in Current Chemistry, vol 318. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/128_2011_242

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