Abstract
ortho-Palladated and -platinated benzalimines are a widely studied novel type of liquid-crystals. These sheet-shaped materials contain two or even four metal atoms and carry eight and twelve flexible side-chains, respectively. Here we present the preparation and mesomorphic properties of dinuclear chiral homologues of such sheet-like compounds. On their own, the chiral members of the dinuclear cyclopalladated series exhibit no liquid-crystalline properties, but show mesophase inductions (Colh-phase) in mixtures with an electron-acceptor, e.g., 2,4,7-trinitrofluorenone (TNF). A diplatinated chiral analogue, however, monotropically exhibits the cholesteric nematic discotic (ND*) type of mesophase. Mixtures of this platinum nematogen with TNF also show the induction of a columnar mesophase (Colh) due to charge-transfer interactions.