Patent ID: 7314580

Claim:
A compound represented by the following formula (1) and exhibiting a smectic liquid-crystal phase: R 1 —(Ar 1 ) p —C≡C—(Ar 2 ) m —C≡C—(Ar 3 ) n —R 2 (1) wherein R 1 and R 2 each represent an alkyl group having at least 10 carbon atoms, wherein at least one —CH 2 — in the alkyl group may be substituted with any of —C≡C—, —C(R 3 )═C(R 4 )—, —CO—, —O—, —S—, —CO 2 —, —OCO—, —CON(R 5 )—, —N(R 6 )CO— and —C(R 3 )(—O—)C(R 4 )—; R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 each represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; Ar 1 and Ar 3 each represent a halogen-substituted divalent aromatic hydrocarbon group; Ar 2 represents a nitrogen-containing 6-membered heterocyclic group; and p, m and n each indicate 1 or 2.