Patent ID: 7232592

Claim:
A nematic liquid crystal composition containing one or more types of a compound having a 4,6-difluoroindan-2,5-diyl group; wherein, the 5-position of this compound may be substituted with a hydrogen atom, fluorine atom, chlorine atom, cyano group, trifluoromethyl group, fluoromethoxy group, difluoromethoxy group, trifluoromethoxy group, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl group, alkyl group having 1 to 15 carbon atoms, alkenyl group having 2 to 15 carbon atoms or a hydrogen atom, said alkyl group or alkenyl group may be non-substituted or have one or more fluorine atoms, chlorine atoms, methyl groups or trifluoromethyl groups as substituents, and one or more methylene groups present in said alkyl group or alkenyl group may be substituted with —CO— or may be substituted with —S—, —O—, —OCOO—, —OCO— or —COO— in which the oxygen atoms are not mutually and directly bonded; the refractive index anisotropy is within the range of 0.08 to 0.15; the liquid crystal phase upper limit temperature is 70° C. or higher; the liquid crystal phase lower limit temperature is −20° C. or lower; and the difference between the liquid crystal phase upper limit temperature and liquid crystal phase lower limit temperature is 90° C. or more.