As new chiral dopants for ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs), some optically active α-trifluoromethylbenzyl derivatives were synthesized, utilizing optically active 3-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-4,4,4-trifluorobutanoic acid. The magnitudes of the spontaneous polarizations (Ps) and the response times depended on the core structures and the type of linkage between the optically active and the core blocks. FLC mixtures containing the chiral dopants having an ether bond between the optically active block and the core blocks showed largePsvalues compared with those having an ester linkage, while the response times were inversely proportional to the values ofPs.