Abstract
Folic acid derivatives having 2-(3,4-dialkoxyphenyl)ethyl moieties have been found to exhibit thermotropic liquid-crystalline behavior. Smectic and discotic phases are observed for these compounds over wide temperature ranges. X-Ray diffraction and infrared measurements show that the formation of the smectic and discotic phases is due to the ribbon- and disk-like structures of the pterin rings of folic acid, respectively. The smectic phase is changed to a hexagonal columnar phase by the addition of alkali metal salts. This behavior is attributed to the change of the hydrogen-bonded structures from ribbon to disk induced by the ion–dipolar interactions.
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