The one-electron oxidation product of a metallocenyl-terminated cyanine

The 1-(2,3,4,5,10,20,30,40-octamethylferrocen-1-yl)-3-(ruthenocenyl)allylium cation readily undergoes one-electron oxidation to a dication in which an octamethylferrocenium moiety is bridged by a vinylene group to a [( -fulvene)( -cyclopentadienyl)ruthenium] moiety. In the title compound, 1-(2,3,4,5,10,20,30,40-octamethylferrocen-1-yl)-3-(ruthenocenylidene)prop-1-enium(2+) bis(tetra ̄uoroborate), [FeRu(C5H5)(C9H13)(C17H19)](BF4)2, the CÐC bond lengths in the bridge (average for two independent molecules) are, starting from the ipso octamethylferrocenium carbon and ending at the exo carbon of the coordinated fulvene, 1.455 (6), 1.344 (3) and 1.449 (8) AÊ , indicating a localized electronic structure.