Crystal structure and synthesis of the bis­(anthracene)dicuprate dianion as the dipotassium salt, [K(tetra­hydro­furan)(2)](2)[{Cu(9,10-η(2)-anthracene)}(2)], the first anionic arene com­plex of copper

Reactions of (tri­cyclo­hexyl­phosphane)copper(I) chloride with two equivalents of potassium anthracene (KAn) in tetra­hydro­furan (THF) at 200 K provides air-sensitive but thermally stable (at 293 K) solutions from which yellow crystalline blocks of bis­[bis­(tetra­hydro­furan-κO)po­tas­sium] bis­(μ-anthracene-κ(2) C (9):C (10))di­copper, [K(THF)(2)](2)[{Cu(9,10-η(2)-C(14)H(10))}(2)] or [K(C(4)H(8)O)(2)](2)[Cu(2)(C(14)H(10))(2)], 1, were isolated in about 50% yield. Single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis of 1 confirmed the presence of the first known (arene)cuprate. Also, unlike all previously known homoleptic (anthracene)metallates of d-block elements, which con­tain metals coordinated only to terminal rings, the organocuprate unit in 1 con­tains copper bound to the 9,10-carbons of the central ring of anthracene. No other d- or f-block metal is known to afford an anthracene or other aromatic hydro­carbon com­plex having the architecture of organodicuprate 1.