Chiral liquid-crystalline side chain polymers by enantioselective modification of prochiral parent polymers

The preparation is reported of two side chain polyacrylate samples 1a , b containing a sulfide group linked to the mesogenic core. By oxidation with a preferentially chiral oxaziridine, samples 1a , b were chemoselectively and enantioselectively converted to the corresponding sulfoxide containing polymers 2a , b with an estimated 20% asymmetric induction. The mesophasic behaviour of the parent and oxidized polymer samples is analyzed by thermal and optical techniques. The modification of the prochiral sulfide groups into chiral sulfoxide groups slightly depresses the propensity of the resulting polymers to give stable and persistent mesophases.