Liquid Crystalline Properties of Fatty Acid Esters of Lophenol, a Cholesterol Biosynthetic Intermediate

Abstract
Lophenol (4α-methyl-cholest-7-en-3β-ol) an established biosynthetic precursor of cholestrol, forms a smectic mesophase only, when esterified with short (C2-C4) and long (C10-C16) even chain fatty acids. This is in contrast to cholesterol, which forms both cholesteric and smectic mesophases. This difference in behavior is attributed to the C7 double bond in lophenol, as opposed to the C5 doule bond in cholesterol.
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