Chemists succeed in synthesizing a molecule first predicted 20 years ago

The first and the best-known metallocene is "ferrocene," which contains a single iron atom. Today, sandwich complexes can be found in many inorganic chemistry textbooks, and the bonding and electronic structure of metallocenes is taught in undergraduate chemistry lecture courses. Sandwich molecules also play an important role in industry, where they are used as catalysts and in the synthesis of special metallopolymers.