Ferrocenylene- and Carbosiloxane-Bridged Bis(sila[1]ferrocenophanes) E[SiMe₂-X-SiMe<i>FC</i>]₂ {E = (η⁵-C₅H₄)Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄) or O; X = (CH₂)_<i>n</i> (<i>n</i> = 2, 3, 6); CHCH; <i>FC</i> = (η<

New FC[SiMe2(CH2)nSiMeFC]2 [FC = 1,1′-ferrocenylene; FC = 1,1′-ferrocenophane, (η5-C5H4)2Fe); n = 2 (7), 3 (8), 6 (9)] and O[SiMe2-X-SiMeFC]2 [X = (CH2)2 (11), CHCH (13)] have been synthesized and characterized. The synthesis involved the reactions of FCLi2·tmeda with FC[SiMe2(CH2)nSiMeCl2]2 [n = 2 (4), 3 (5), 6 (6)] and O[SiMe2-X-SiMeCl2]2 [X = (CH2)2 (10), CHCH (12)] at −78 °C. Compounds 4−13 were characterized by elemental analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and for 11, single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The cyclopentadienyl rings in the structure of 11 are tilted with a dihedral angle of 19.8°. The observed red-shift of the lowest energy transition associated with the ferrocenophanyl groups in UV/vis spectra of 7−9, 11, and 13 also confirms the ring strain. Cyclic voltammetric studies exhibited either a broad (7−9) or sharp (11, 13) wave for the reversible redox process. The broadness of the band for the FC-bridged complexes is a composite of the two types of (η5-C5H4)Fe(η5-C5H4) unit, but no significant inter-Fc interaction could be discerned. All the new bis-ferrocenylene materials are readily ring-opened to form polymeric materials.