“…Recently, we reported synthesis of hypervalent pentacoordinate carbon compound bearing a rigid anthracene skeleton, which was prepared from 1,8‐dimethoxy‐9‐trifluoromethanesulfonyloxyanthracene,1a and of hypervalent pentacoordinate boron compounds ( 2 ) from 1,8‐dimethoxy‐9‐bromoanthracene ( 1 ) 1b. Although anthracene bearing only two dimethylamino groups at 1,8‐positions ( 3 ) has been synthesized in trace amounts by Haenel et al,2 compound 3 has not been used as a potential tridentate ligand, probably because of the inefficient synthetic method and inertness toward introduction of transition metal compounds. However, such a rigid tridentate anthracene ligand has eagerly been desired, since several bi‐3 and tridentate ligands bearing dimethylamino groups, especially van Koten type tridentate ligand such as 2,6‐bis(dimethylaminomethyl)phenyl ligand ( 4 ), have been effectively applied for stabilization of highly‐coordinated main‐group‐element compounds,4 and for transition‐metal catalysts of various reactions5 such as organoplatinum crystals for gas‐triggered switches 6…”