Abstract The synthesis and mesomorphic properties of a homologous series of N-(3- hydroxypropyl)-4-alkoxylsalicylaldimine, N-(3-hydroxypropyl)-4-(4′-alkoxybenzoxy) salicylaldimine, and their dicopper (II) and di-oxovanadium (VI) complexes are reported. Copper complexes exhibited monotropic smectic A phases; however, vanadyl complexes showed no mesomorphism. A systematic comparison revealed that the meso-genie ...