Table 2: Selected Phases Characteristic of Liquid-Crystal-Forming Molecules

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phase                              order 
 
Isotropic liquid                   full continuous translational and rotational symmetry 
Nematic                            molecular orientation breaks rotational symmetry 
 
untilted             tilted 
 
Smectic-A            Smectic-C     layering breaks translational symmetry; smectic-C molecules are tilted 
Hexatic-B            Smectic-F     bond orientational order breaks rotational symmetry within layers 
Crystal-B            Crystal-G     crystallization breaks translational symmetry within layers; molecules may 
                                     rotate about their long axis 
Crystal-E            Crystal-H     molecular rotation freezes out