Liquid crystal composition, benzoquinone derivative, liquid crystal cured layer, optical film, polarizing plate, and image display device

A liquid crystal composition comprising:

• a compound represented by Formula (A);
• and
• a liquid crystal compound,
• in Formula (A),
• Ar1 represents any aromatic ring selected from the group consisting of groups represented by Formulae (BQ-1) to (BQ-5),
• in Formulae (BQ-1) to (BQ-5),
• * represents a bonding position to an oxygen atom,
• Q1 represents N or CH,
• Q2 represents —S—, —O—, or —N(R6)—, where R6 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms,
• Y1 represents an aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, which may have a substituent, an aromatic heterocyclic group having 3 to 12 carbon atoms, which may have a substituent, or an alicyclic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms, which may have a substituent, where one or more of —CH2—'s constituting the alicyclic hydrocarbon group may be replaced with —O—, —S—, or —NH—,
• Z1, Z2, and Z3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a monovalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a monovalent alicyclic hydrocarbon group having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, a monovalent aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms, a monovalent aromatic heterocyclic group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, —OR7, —NR8R9, —SR10, —COOR11, or —COR12, where R7 to R12 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms and Z1 and Z2 may be bonded to each other to form an aromatic ring,
• A3 and A4 each independently represent a group selected from the group consisting of —O—, —N(R13)—, —S—, and —CO—, where R13 represents a hydrogen atom or a substituent,
• X represents a non-metal atom of Groups 14 to 16, provided that a hydrogen atom or a substituent may be bonded to the non-metal atom,
• D7 and D8 each independently represent a single bond, —CO—, —O—, —S—, —C(═S)—, —CR1R2—, —CR3═CR4—, —NR5—, or a divalent linking group consisting of a combination of two or more of these groups, where R1 to R5 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, or an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms,
• SP3 and SP4 each independently represent a single bond or a divalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, provided that one or more of —CH2—'s constituting the aliphatic hydrocarbon group may be replaced with —O—, —S—, —NH—, —N(Q)-, or —CO—, where Q represents a substituent, and
• L3 and L4 each independently represent a monovalent organic group.
• Ax represents an organic group having 2 to 30 carbon atoms, which has at least one aromatic ring selected from the group consisting of an aromatic hydrocarbon ring and an aromatic heterocyclic ring,
• Ay represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, which may have a substituent, or an organic group having 2 to 30 carbon atoms, which has at least one aromatic ring selected from the group consisting of an aromatic hydrocarbon ring and an aromatic heterocyclic ring,
• where the aromatic rings in Ax and Ay may have a substituent, and Ax and Ay may be bonded to each other to form a ring, and
• Q3 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, which may have a substituent.