Liquid crystal compound, optical element, polarizing plate, image display apparatus, and optical recording material

A liquid crystal compound, comprising two or more chemical structures Q each represented by a general formula (1):

• where, in the general formula (1):
• X represents one of —CN and —COCH3;
• and R1 and R2 each independently represent any one of —H, a chemical structure represented by a general formula (2), and a chemical structure represented by any one of general formulae (3a) to (3f):
• where, in the general formula (2):
• J represents one of —H and —CH3;
• A represents a single bond or an alkylene group having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, in which one —CH2— or two or more nonadjacent —CH2—'s present in the alkylene group may be substituted with —O—;
• Y represents any one of —O—, —COO—, —OCO—, and —OCOO—;
• and L represents a chemical structure represented by any one of general formulae (4a) to (4g),
• where, in the general formulae (3a) to (3f):
• Ac represents a (meth)acryloyl group;
• and A2 represents an alkylene group having 2 to 12 carbon atoms:
• [Chemical Formulae 4]
• —Cy—Cy (4a)
• —Cy—Cy—Cy (4b)
• —Cy—Z—Cy (4c)
• —Cy—Z—Cy—Z—Cy (4d)
• —Cy—C≡C—Cy (4e )
• —Cy—C≡C—Cy—C≡C—Cy (4f)
• —Cy—Z—Cy—C≡C—Cy (4g )
• where, in the general formulae (4a) to (4g):
• Z represents any one of —COO—, —OCO—, —CONH—, CON(alkyl)-, and —CH═N—;
• and Cy's each independently represent any one of a phenyl ring, a naphthyl ring, a biphenyl ring, and a cyclohexyl ring which may each have at least one kind of substituent selected from F, CN, an alkoxy group, and an alkyl group.