Abstract
The discovery of ferrocene about 50 years ago stirred up a vigorous interest in the chemistry of organometallic compounds and brought new stimuli into coordination chemistry. Although the discovery of this archetypal metallocene has been later overshadowed by the exceedingly rich developments in ferrocene chemistry, it remains one of the most fascinating stories of chemical research.
This article attempts to provide a brief summary of the early days of ferrocene chemistry, covering the narrow period from the preparation of ferrocene to the determination of its structure and early studies into its reactivity.