The present invention provides a liquid crystal composition including at least one compound represented by General Formula (1), at least one compound represented by General Formula (2), and at least one compound represented by General Formula (LC1). ##STR00001## The liquid crystal composition of the present invention has high refractive index anisotropy (n) and sufficiently low viscosity (), achieves a wide nematic phase temperature range by suppressing a decrease in nematic phase-isotropic liquid phase transition temperature (T.sub.ni), and exhibits high compatibility. By using the liquid crystal composition of the present invention in a liquid crystal display element, a liquid crystal display element having a high response speed and high practical reliability can be obtained.

A reactive perpendicular aligned organosilicon material is provided, having a general structural formula in the form of A-R, where A is SiCl.sub.3 and R represents a linear chained or a branched chained alkyl group with 5-20 carbon atoms. A CH.sub.2 group in the alkyl group is substituted by a phenyl group, a naphthenic base, CONH, COO, OCO, S, CO, or CHCH, or an F atom or a Cl atom substitutes an H atom in the alkyl group. A Cl atom in the reactive perpendicular aligned organosilicon material and OH on a surface of a substrate having no Pl thereon form a hydrogen bond, leading to vertical arrangement of liquid crystal molecules between two opposite substrates.

A liquid crystal composition includes: at least one liquid crystal compound selected from the group consisting of Chemical Formulas 1-1 to 1-8; at least one self-aligned compound selected from the group consisting of Chemical Formulas 2-1 and 2-2; and at least one reactive mesogen selected from the group consisting of Chemical Formulas 3-1 to 3-5. Compositions and devices constructed therewith are capable of ameliorating liquid crystal drip spots that typically occur in a manufacturing process. In addition, the display devices using the composition do not require an additional alignment layer, which simplifies manufacturing.

A negative liquid crystal material includes a liquid crystal compound and a viscosity-decreasing agent. The liquid crystal compound has a negative dielectric anisotropy. The viscosity-decreasing agent is represented by the following chemical formula (1):

##STR00001##

in the chemical formula (1), X and Y are each H or a halogen group, and at least one of X and Y is a halogen group; and R and R are each a linear saturated alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms or a linear saturated alkoxy group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms.

A compound represented by formula (1), a liquid crystal composition containing the compound, and a liquid crystal display device including the composition.

##STR00001## R is alkyl having 1 to 15 carbons or the like; ring A.sup.1 and ring A.sup.2 are independently 1,4-cyclohexylene, 1,4-phenylene or the like; Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 are independently a single bond, COO or the like; Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2 and Y.sup.3 are independently hydrogen, fluorine or chlorine; and m is 0, 1 or 2.

The present invention provides a novel method for producing an ester group-containing compound and a derivative produced using the compound as a synthetic intermediate. The invention also provides a polymerizable composition containing the compound obtained by the production method and a film-shaped polymer obtained by polymerizing the polymerizable composition. The present invention is a method for producing an ester group-containing compound, the method including a mixing step of mixing a condensing agent, a Bronsted acid, a carboxylic acid, and a phenol or an alcohol to prepare a reaction mixture. The Bronsted acid selected is other than the condensing agent, the carboxylic acid, and the phenol.

Provided are a liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one of characteristics such as high maximum temperature, low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy and large negative dielectric anisotropy, or the liquid crystal composition having a suitable balance regarding at least two of the characteristics; and an AM device including the composition. The liquid crystal composition may contain a specific compound having small viscosity or low minimum temperature as a first component, a specific compound having negative dielectric anisotropy, small viscosity and low threshold voltage as a second component, a specific compound having high maximum temperature or small viscosity as a third component, a specific compound having negative dielectric anisotropy or low minimum temperature as a fourth component, or a specific compound having a polymerizable group as an additive component.

A composition includes an aqueous mixture of birefringent small molecules and a birefringent polymer. The birefringent small molecules are of a structure:

##STR00001##

or a salt thereof.

The birefringent polymer is of a structure:

##STR00002##

or salt thereof,
where n is an integer in a range from 25 to 10,000.

The invention provides a liquid crystal display element hardly generating drop marks at the time of producing, and having high reliability and improved properties of a liquid crystal display element such as dielectric anisotropy, viscosity, a nematic phase upper limit temperature, or rotational viscosity (.sub.1) without deteriorating the properties of the liquid crystal display element and burn-in properties of the liquid crystal display element, and a method for producing the same. In addition, according to the invention, it is possible to effectively use the liquid crystal display element as a display element of a liquid crystal TV, a monitor, and the like, due to excellent high-response speed, a low frequency of occurrence of burn-in, a low frequency of generation of drop marks at the time of the producing, excellent properties of the liquid crystal display element, and high reliability.

The present application relates to mixtures which have liquid-crystalline properties. The application furthermore relates to the use of the mixtures in devices which regulate the transmission of light through an area element.