To obtain a new compound useful for ferroelectric liquid crystal elements good in switching characteristics and having excellent characteristics such as a quick response, a reduced temperature dependency of speed of optical response and high contrast.
This new compound is expressed by the formula R1-*CHF-(CH2)n- X1-A1-B [R1 is a 1-20C alkyl; A1 is A2-X2-A3 or A2-X2-A3-X3-A4 (A2, A3 and A4 are each 1,4-phenylene, pyridine-2,5-diyl, 2,6-naphthylene, etc.; X2 and X3 are each a single bond, COO, CH2O, CH=CH, etc.); (n) is 0-10; B is a halogen, CN or CF3; * denotes optical activity; X1 is a single bond, O, COO or OCO], e.g. optically active 4-cyano-4'-(2-fluorooctyloxy)biphenyl. The compound of the formula is obtained, for example, by ring opening fluorination of an optically active 1,2-epoxyalkane by hydrogen fluoride followed by deriving the product into an optically active p-toluenesulfonic acid 2-fluoroalkyl ester by use of p-toluenesulfonic acid chloride and then reaction of the ester with the corresponding phenol derivative.
SASADA YASUYUKI
NAKAMURA SHINICHI
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