Thirty-eight compounds of meso-tetrakis(4-alkoxyphenyl) porphyrins and their complexes with Cu, Co, Zn, Pb have been synthesized. Among them, fourteen are new ones. Meso-tetrakis (4-alkoxyphenyl) porphyrins synthesized by condensation of 4-alkoxybenzaldehydes with pyrrole, reacted with metal acetates to form corresponding complexes. Elemental analysis, IR, UV, ^1H NMR, MS were used to identify the structures of all these compounds. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing microscopy were used to probe the liquid crystal properties of the five serial complexes. Sixteen compounds have been found to have liquid crystal properties. The effects of alkoxy chains and metal ions in complexes on liquid crystal properties have been investigated.

Key words: ALKOXYL GROUP, PHENYL GROUP, PORPHYRIN, METAL COMPLEX, COMPLEX COMPOUNDS, STRUCTURE CHARACTERISTICS