Trisilanes bearing hydrogen atoms at two more silicon atoms reacted with a zero-valent platinum complex [Pt(dppe)(eta(2)-C2H4)] to give various types of mononuclear and dinuclear platinum-silyl complexes. Interestingly, in the case of 1,1,2,3,3-pentamethyltrisilane, the Si-Si bond was uniquely activated, resulting in the formation of the diplatinum complex [Pt-2-(dppe)(2)(mu-1,4-SiMe(SiMe2)(2)SiMe)].