Zeise's salt was one of the first
organometallic compounds to be reported. It was discovered by
William Christopher Zeise, a professor at the
University of Copenhagen, who prepared this compound in 1830 while investigating the reaction of
PtCl4 with boiling
ethanol. Following careful analysis he proposed that the resulting compound contained
ethylene.
Justus von Liebig, a highly influential chemist of that era, often criticised Zeise's proposal, but Zeise's proposal was decisively supported in 1868 when Birnbaum prepared the complex using ethylene. Zeise's salt received a great deal of attention during the second half of the 19th century because chemists could not explain its
molecular structure. This question remained unanswered until the determination of its
X-ray crystal structure in the 20th century. Zeise's salt stimulated much scientific research in the field of
organometallic chemistry and would be key in defining new concepts in chemistry. ==Related compounds==