A competition between normal substitution and tele-substitution is observed with 9-bromoanthracenes bearing in the opposite meso position an ethyl, 1b, or a benzyl group 1d. When treated with potassium phenoxide in HMPT these bromides afford mixtures of 9-alkyl-10-phenoxy-anthracenes 2 and 9-(α(phenoxyalkyl) anthracenes 3. On the other hand 9-bromo-10 isopropylanthracene 1c is quite unreactive and