Alkoxy substituted (E,E)-3,6-bis(styryl)pyridazine—a photosensitive mesogen for liquid crystals

(E,E)-3,6-Bis(styryl)pyridazines (3a–t) bearing 2, 4 or 6 alkoxy chains were prepared by applying the Siegrist reaction of 3,6-dimethylpyridazine (13) and the corresponding azomethines 10a–t. The transversal dipole moment of these calamitic compounds effects an extremely high tendency for self-organization in thermotropic LC phases (N, SA, SB, SC, SE, SI/F, and Cub). The conjugated core structure represents moreover a chromophore with a high photosensitivity for (E,E)⇄(E,Z) isomerization reactions: this property makes the compounds interesting for optical imaging and switching techniques.