Magnesium anthracene is an organomagnesium compound that is almost invariably isolated as its adduct with three tetrahydrofuran (thf) ligands. With the formula Mg(C<sub>14</sub>H<sub>10</sub>)(thf)<sub>3</sub>, this air- and water-sensitive orange solid is obtained by heating a suspension of magnesium in a thf solution of anthracene.
According to X-ray crystallography, the Mg center is 5-coordinate, occupying a C<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> ligand sphere. The fold angle between the two benzo groups is 72.6ð.
The compound behaves as a source of the carbanion [C<sub>14</sub>H<sub>10</sub>]<sup>2-</sup> as well as a source of highly reactive Mg. With electrophiles, the compound reacts to give dihydroanthracene derivatives C<sub>14</sub>H<sub>10</sub>E<sub>2</sub>. Electrophiles include ketones, CO<sub>2</sub>, organotin chlorides, and organoaluminium chlorides. Ethylene inserts into one Mg-C bond. Hydrogen induces release of anthracene, yielding magnesium hydride (MgH<sub>2</sub>).