It is exclusively generated and isolated as a solvate, using either ether or tertiary amine ligands bound to the lithium centers.

[1] Treatment of ferrocene with butyl lithium gives 1,1'-dilithioferrocene, regardless of the stoichiometry (monolithioferrocene requires special conditions for its preparation).

Typically the lithiation reaction is conducted in the presence of tetramethylethylenediamine (tmeda).

[2] 1,1'-Dilithioferrocene reacts with a variety of electrophiles to afford disubstituted derivatives of ferrocene.

[3] The diphosphine ligand 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene (dppf) is prepared by treating dilithioferrocene with chlorodiphenylphosphine.