Nondiscoid Rh and Ir dicarbonyl $\beta$-diketonate complexes organize in columnar liq. crystal phases with hexagonal disordered structures (Colhd). The shape and dipolar attributes of these materials produce highly correlated antiparallel pairwise arrangements. This organization was studied by x-ray diffraction and miscibility studies. The liq. crystallinity is stabilized by decreasing the no. of C atoms in the side chains, and single component room-temp. liq. crystals were developed. The nature of the metal is also important, and Ir mesogens exhibited higher clearing points than the analogous Rh materials. [on SciFinder(R)]