Liquid crystal imidazolium salts:: Towards materials for catalysis and molecular electronics

1,3-Bis(4-alkyloxyphenyl)-3H-imidazol-l-ium trifluoromethanesulfondtes, alkyl = CH3(CH2)(n-1), n = 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16, can be derived from the analogous 4-alkyloxyphenylamines. These imidazolium salts exhibit a lamellar liquid-crystal mesophase between 99 degrees C and 191 degrees C. The smectic-A phase was fully characterised by polarising optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. We report also the synthesis, lamellar crystal structure and catalytic activity of the Pd-II complex of the (deprotonated) carbene form of one of these salts. In addition, we measured the charged carrier mobilities in the mesophase. ((c) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007).