Ferrocenyl-1,2-diketones FcCOCOR, 3, [Fc = (C5H5)Fe(C5H4)] can be prepared by oxidation of acylferrocenes FcCOCH2R or, more efficiently, by oxidation of the isomeric ketones FcCH2COR, 2. The ketones 2 are in turn readily synthesized from the salt (FcCH2PPh3)+I− via the acylated salts [FcCH(COR)PPh3]+I−. The haloacylferocenes FcCOCClx H3−x (x = 1, 2, 3, of which the x = 2 example is synthetically equivalent to a diketone) are synthesized by Friedel—Crafts acylation of ferrocene using CClxH3−xCOCl/AlCl3, but the reaction proceeds via two parallel pathways, one giving the normal acyl derivatives FcCOCClxH3−x and the other giving the reduced products FcCOCClx−1H4−x. Two diketones FcCOCOFc 3b and FcCOCOC6H4Ph 3c have been structurally characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.