Optically active compound, intermediate therefor, process for producing the intermediate, and liquid-crystal composition.

摘要

The present invention discloses an optically active compound represented by the following general formula (I): <CHEM> wherein R<1> represents an alkyl, alkoxyl, or alkoxyalkanoyloxy group which has 1 to 18 carbon atoms and may be substituted with fluorine, chlorine, or cyano group; R<2> represents an alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms; <CHEM> <CHEM> m is 0 or 1; Y represents a single bond, -CH2O-, or -COO-; Z represents a single bond or -COO-; and C<*> and C<**> each independently represents an asymmetric carbon atom of the (R) or (S) configuration, an intermediate therefor being represented by the following general formula (II): <CHEM> wherein R<2> represents an alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, n is 0 or 1, and C<*> and C<**> each independently represents an asymmetric carbon atom of the (R) or (S) configuration, a process for producing the intermediate, and a liquid-crystal compound using the optically active compound.