An investigation of the hydrogen bonding in liquid-crystal systems using variable-temperature electronic spectroscopy

Abstract

Variable-temperature electronic spectroscopy on the mesomorphic hydrogen-bonded complex between 4-decyloxy-4′-stilbazole and 2,4-dinitrophenol shows that the higher energy ionic hydrogen-bonded state corresponding to proton transfer is significantly populated through the mesophase, and the mesophase provides an additional stabilisation for this state, by virtue of its microscopic structure; the clearing of the smectic A phase is shown not to be driven by hydrogen-bond rupture.