A series of poly(1,1＇-ferrocenylene-alt-p-oligophenylenes) has been prepared via Pd-catalysed polycondensation, i.e. poly(1,1＇-ferrocenylene-alt-p-terphenyl-4,4 "-ylene), poly(1,1＇-ferracenylene-alt-p-quinquephenyl-4, 4 ""-ylene), and poly(1,1＇-ferrocenylene-alt-p-septiphenyl-4,4 """-ylene), which bear two solubilising n-hexyl or n-dodecyl side chains at every repeating unit. The homogeneous constitution of all soluble polymers has been proved using high-resolution H-1 and C-13 n.m.r. spectroscopy, and the degrees of polymerization have been shown to vary from P-n = 15 to 55. The material properties of the poly(1,1＇-ferrocenylene-alt-p-oligophenylenes) have been analysed in bulk and solution using t.g.a., d.s.c., WAXS, g.p.c., viscosimetry and light scattering. Some of the results are contrasted with those of measurements on poly(p-phenylene) and poly[2,9-(o-phenanthroline)-alt-p-oligophenylene] reference polymers showing that the main chains of the poly(1,1＇-ferrocenylene-alt-p-oligophenylenes) are by no means rodlike, like those of the poly(p-phenylenes) but assume randomly coiled conformations. However, the coils are less densely packed and significantly more flexible than those of the poly [2,9-(o-phenanthroline)-alt-p-oligophenylenes].