Ferrocene

ferrocene

[′fer·ə‚sēn]

(organic chemistry)

(CH₂)₅Fe(CH₂)₅ Orange crystals that are soluble in ether, melting point 174°C; used as a combustion control additive in fuels, and for heat stabilization in greases and plastics.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Ferrocene

 

(also dicyclopentadienyliron), (C₅H₅)₂Fe, an orange crystalline solid having a melting point of 173°–174°C that is readily soluble in organic solvents. First synthesized in 1951, ferrocene is a member of a large class of organometallic compounds known as metallocenes. The ferrocene molecule has the sandwich structure that is characteristic of the class:

Ferrocene undergoes substitution reactions to the cyclopentadienyl rings; in this sense, the compound is similar to benzene and other aromatic compounds. For example, it is alkylated and acylated in the Friedel-Crafts reaction, and it also undergoes mercuration and sulfonation. The compound is stable at temperatures up to 400°C when heated in the air; it is also stable in the presence of acids and alkalies. Ferrocene is obtained by heating cyclopentadiene (C₅H₆) with metallic iron and by the reaction of cyclopentadienylmagnesium bromide (C₅H₅MgBr) with ferrous chloride.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.