Unexpected mesophase behaviour in novel triphenylene multi-alkenes

The first series of hexaalkenyloxytriphenylenes, where the unsaturation resides at the termini of the side chains, has been synthesised and characterised. Most interestingly, the synthesis of these alkenyloxytriphenylenes, by alkylation of hexahydroxytriphenylene, is found to yield additional products resulting from a single C-alkylation alongside exhaustive O-alkylation; surprisingly several homologues of these materials retain columnar mesophase behaviour.