Donocadh P. Lydon, Gareth W. V. Cave and Jonathan P. Rourke
The cyclopalladation of mesogenic Schiff bases yields two series of novel metallomesogens. The flat acetylacetonate derivatives show both nematic and smectic A phases with extended mesogenic ranges. In contrast, the non-planar cyclopentadienyl complexes show nematic phases at much lower temperatures than those of the acetylacetonate complexes.