The Synthesis of Ruthenocene - A Methodology Appropriate for the Inorganic Undergraduate Curriculum

The discovery of ferrocene, Fe(C5H5)2, in the 1950’s sparked the development of organometallic chemistry including metallocene compounds. Shortly after the isolation of ferrocene, the analogous ruthenium and osmium compounds were discovered. The preparation of ferrocene is common in undergraduate inorganic laboratory courses, but an appropriate undergraduate synthesis of ruthenocene, Ru(C5H5)2, is lacking. Herein we describe a convenient synthesis of Ru(C5H5)2 for the undergraduate teaching laboratory. This microscale reaction incorporates elements of green chemistry and introduces students to an air sensitive reaction with sublimation as a purification method. Students explore the characterization of ruthenocene, through experimental and computational approaches.