Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH or polyarene) [1] anion mediated reductions of transition metal halides and related substances provide convenient and sometimes unique routes to a variety of polyarene metal complexes and derived species. [2] Since the polyarene ligands may be labile and easily displaced by a variety of small molecules, polyarene metal complexes are potential sources of highly unsaturated metallic units in chemical synthesis. [3] Homoleptic systems are of particular interest since these species may function as ™naked∫ metal atom reagents and are therefore valuable precursors for the general exploration of low-valent transition metal chemistry. [4] Except for the first reported homoleptic polyarene transition metal complex [Ru(C 10 H 8 ) 2 ] 2 (C 10 H 8 naphthalene), [5] all previous examples contained only early (Groups 4 ± 6) transition metals. [4] However, the existence of this cationic ruthenium species suggested that related neutral and anionic polyarene complexes of later transition metals should also be accessible. We now report on the first anion of this type and the initial homoleptic polyarene complex of cobalt, bis(h 4 -anthracene)cobaltate(1 À ) (1). The only previously known homoleptic anthracene transition metal complex is bis(anthracene)chromium(0), which was prepared by the reaction of chromium vapor and anthracene in a metal atom reactor. [4c] Reduction of cobalt(ii) bromide by three equivalents of potassium anthracene in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at À 55 to À 65 8C provided a dark red solution, from which deep red, nearly black, microcrystals of 1 as [K([2.2.2]cryptand)] or [K([18]crown-6)(THF) 2 ] salts were isolated in 82 ± 87 % yields (see Experimental Section for details; [Eq. (1)]).Corresponding reductions conducted with alkali metal naphthalenes provided much less thermally stable solutions of a presumably analogous bis(naphthalene)cobaltate(1 À ).