Abstract: Silicon based liquid crystal compounds produced by the reaction of an isocyanatosilane with a Schiff base, aromatic ester, azo compound or cholesteryl compound. The liquid crystals are useful in those applications in which liquid crystals are currently used and they also have the capability of being firmly chemically bonded to certain substrates, such as glass, thus avoiding the need for hermetic sealing.

Abstract: Pleochroic azo dyes represented by the formula (I): ##STR1## wherein X represents group --OCOR.sup.1 or --COOR.sup.1 (wherein R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group, an alkoxyalkyl group, an alkoxyphenyl group, an alkylcyclohexyl group, an alkoxyalkylcyclohexyl group, a cycloalkylcyclohexyl group, an alkoxycyclohexyl group, or a phenyl group substituted by a substituent selected from among an alkyl group containing 3 to 18 carbon atoms, an alkoxyalkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group, a cyano group, a halogen atom, an acyloxy group, a carboxylic acid ester group, and an arylazo group); Y represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxyalkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an alkoxy group, a nitro group, a cyano group, a carboxylic acid ester group, an acyloxy group, an alkylsulfonyl group, an aryl group, a halogen atom, or group ##STR2## wherein R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxyalkyl group, or R.sup.2 and R.sup.