In immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL), the unique antibody light chain (LC) protein that is secreted by monoclonal plasma cells in each patient misfolds and/or aggregates, a process leading to organ degeneration. For treating AL patients, such as those with substantial cardiac involvement who have difficulty tolerating existing chemotherapy regimens, provided herein are small molecule compounds of Formula Ia, Formula Ib, and Formula II that are kinetic stabilizers of the native dimeric structure of full-length LCs, which compounds can slow or stop the amyloidogenicity cascade at its origin.

Methods of making β-homoamino acids as intermediate for synthesis of peptide monmer and dimer α4β7-antagonists are disclosed. The disclosed methods include solid phase and solution phase methods.

The spontaneous orientation aid for a liquid crystal composition provides storage stability and allows liquid crystal molecules to be vertically aligned without a PI layer when added to a liquid crystal composition. When used in a liquid crystal composition, the spontaneous orientation aid can adsorb to substrates sandwiching a liquid crystal composition (liquid crystal layer) and keep the liquid crystal molecules aligned in a vertical direction. The spontaneous orientation aid makes it possible to align liquid crystal molecules without a PI layer (to induce vertical alignment of liquid crystal molecules under no applied voltage and to achieve horizontal alignment of the liquid crystal molecules under an applied voltage).

The spontaneous orientation aid for a liquid crystal composition provides storage stability and allows liquid crystal molecules to be vertically aligned without a PI layer when added to a liquid crystal composition. When used in a liquid crystal composition, the spontaneous orientation aid can adsorb to substrates sandwiching a liquid crystal composition (liquid crystal layer) and keep the liquid crystal molecules aligned in a vertical direction. The spontaneous orientation aid makes it possible to align liquid crystal molecules without a PI layer (to induce vertical alignment of liquid crystal molecules under no applied voltage and to achieve horizontal alignment of the liquid crystal molecules under an applied voltage).

The present invention relates to aromatic isothiocyanates of formula U ##STR00001##
as defined in claim 1, to liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more compounds of formula U and to high-frequency components comprising these media, especially microwave components for high-frequency devices, such as devices for shifting the phase of microwaves, tunable filters, tunable metamaterial structures, and electronic beam steering antennas, e.g. phased array antennas.

The present invention relates to aromatic isothiocyanates of formula U ##STR00001##
as defined in claim 1, to liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more compounds of formula U and to high-frequency components comprising these media, especially microwave components for high-frequency devices, such as devices for shifting the phase of microwaves, tunable filters, tunable metamaterial structures, and electronic beam steering antennas, e.g. phased array antennas.

A compound represented by Formula (I) is provided:

##STR00001##

In Formula (I), R.sup.3, R.sup.4, and R.sup.5 each independently represent an electron-withdrawing group; R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.6, and R.sup.7 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a heterocyclic group, a halogen atom, a nitro group, a cyano group, a hydroxy group, a thiol group, a carboxy group, —SCF.sub.3, —SF.sub.5, —SF.sub.3, —SO.sub.3H, —SO.sub.2H, an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 25 carbon atoms which may have a substituent, or an aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms which may have a substituent; and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, R.sup.1 and R.sup.6, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7, and R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 may be linked to each other to form a ring.

A compound represented by Formula (I) is provided:

##STR00001##

In Formula (I), R.sup.3, R.sup.4, and R.sup.5 each independently represent an electron-withdrawing group; R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.6, and R.sup.7 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a heterocyclic group, a halogen atom, a nitro group, a cyano group, a hydroxy group, a thiol group, a carboxy group, —SCF.sub.3, —SF.sub.5, —SF.sub.3, —SO.sub.3H, —SO.sub.2H, an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 25 carbon atoms which may have a substituent, or an aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms which may have a substituent; and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, R.sup.1 and R.sup.6, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7, and R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 may be linked to each other to form a ring.

A compound having a molecular weight of 3000 or less and a partial structure represented by Formula (X) is provided:

##STR00001##

In Formula (X), a ring W.sup.1 represents a ring structure having at least one double bond as a constituent element of the ring and having no aromaticity; and R.sup.3 represents a heterocyclic group, a halogen atom, a nitro group, a cyano group, a hydroxy group, a thiol group, a carboxy group, —SF.sub.5, —SF.sub.3, —SO.sub.3H, —SO.sub.2H, an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 25 carbon atoms which may have a substituent, or an aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms which may have a substituent.

A compound having a molecular weight of 3000 or less and a partial structure represented by Formula (X) is provided:

##STR00001##

In Formula (X), a ring W.sup.1 represents a ring structure having at least one double bond as a constituent element of the ring and having no aromaticity; and R.sup.3 represents a heterocyclic group, a halogen atom, a nitro group, a cyano group, a hydroxy group, a thiol group, a carboxy group, —SF.sub.5, —SF.sub.3, —SO.sub.3H, —SO.sub.2H, an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 25 carbon atoms which may have a substituent, or an aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms which may have a substituent.