1952 ⟶ Discovery of Ferrocene Structure

Robert Burns Woodward, Geoffrey Wilkinson, and Ernst Otto Fi...
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Year
1757
1865
1951
1952
1965
1985

⚗️ Cadet de Gassicourt Creates Cacodyl Oxide

Louis Claude Cadet de Gassicourt, while investigating arsenic compounds, creates Cadet's fuming liquid, later discovered to be cacodyl oxide, considered to be the first synthetic organometallic compound.⟶
Cadet de Gassicourt Creates Cacodyl Oxide (1757)
ChemistryOrganic ChemistryOrganometallic ChemistryCadet's Fuming LiquidLouis Claude Cadet de GassicourtSynthetic Chemistry18th Century
FranceFrance

⚛️ Kekulé's Discovery of Benzene Ring Structure

Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz realized that benzene is composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms in a hexagonal ring.⟶
Kekulé's Discovery of Benzene Ring Structure (1865)
ChemistryOrganic ChemistryKekuléBenzeneMolecular Structure19th CenturyStructural FormulaChemical Bonding
GermanyGermany

🧪 Synthesis of Cholesterol and Cortisone

The research group of Robert Robinson with John Cornforth (Oxford University) publishes their synthesis of cholesterol, while Robert Woodward (Harvard University) publishes his synthesis of cortisone.⟶
Synthesis of Cholesterol and Cortisone (1951)
ChemistryOrganic ChemistrySynthesisCholesterolCortisoneRobert RobinsonRobert WoodwardDrug DiscoverySteroid Chemistry
United KingdomUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States

⚛️ Discovery of Ferrocene Structure

Robert Burns Woodward, Geoffrey Wilkinson, and Ernst Otto Fischer discover the structure of ferrocene, one of the founding discoveries of the field of organometallic chemistry.⟶
Discovery of Ferrocene Structure (1952)
ChemistryOrganic ChemistryOrganometallic ChemistryFerroceneRobert Burns WoodwardGeoffrey WilkinsonErnst Otto FischerChemical Structure
United KingdomUnited KingdomGermanyGermany

🧪 Development of Woodward–Hoffmann Rules

Robert Burns Woodward and Roald Hoffmann propose the Woodward–Hoffmann rules, which use the symmetry of molecular orbitals to explain the stereochemistry of chemical reactions.⟶
Development of Woodward–Hoffmann Rules (1965)
ChemistryOrganic ChemistryStereochemistryMolecular OrbitalsWoodward–Hoffmann RulesRobert Burns WoodwardRoald HoffmannChemical Reactions1960s
United StatesUnited StatesSwitzerlandSwitzerland

⚛️ Discovery of Buckminsterfullerene Structure

Harry Kroto, J.R. Heath, S.C. O'Brien, R.F. Curl, and Richard Smalley discovered the unusual stability of the buckminsterfullerene molecule and deduce its structure.⟶
Discovery of Buckminsterfullerene Structure (1985)
ChemistryMaterials ScienceFullerenesCarbon MoleculesNanotechnologyStructural ChemistryKrotoSmalley1980sMolecular Structure
United StatesUnited States