Terms specific to the liquid crystalline state of matter

1 Terms specific to the liquid crystalline state of matter 

Gray has provided an excellent book on the liquid crystalline state as known in 196222. It includes many detailed definitions. Although he notes the wide occurrence of liquid crystals in biological tissue, he limited his discussion of such crystals to the introduction. Materials in the liquid crystalline state can be divided into two major groups, those that are thermotropic and lyotropic. 

Lyotropic- A material initially in solution that changes state as a function of the concentration of the solution. Thermotropic- A material that changes state primarily as a function of temperature. 

Amphiphilic-A compound with a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic, organic, tail. 

Amphoteric-Capable of acting as either an acid or a base. 

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