AddiOon of Cp*ZnZnCp* to the heavier carbene analogues 1a-c (E = Al, Ga, Si) in benzene or toluene soluOon resulted in the formaOon of 2a-c (Scheme 1). These reacOons were monitored by 1 H NMR spectroscopy over a period of 10 min -5h between 25 -50 °C, in all cases product formaOon was indicated by a desymmetrisaOon of the proton environments of the b-dikeOminate ligand, along with an upfield shii of the methine resonance of the ligand backbone referenced against 1a-c. In the case of 2c, the reacOon was also characterised by a diagnosOc Si NMR resonance observed at d = +25.0 ppm, shiied upfield by Dd = 63.4 ppm compared to the parent silylene 1c. While 2a and 2c were generated cleanly in high yield, 2b formed as a 9:1 equilibrium mixture with 1b and Cp*ZnZnCp*.