Elementary silicon activated with copper was heated up in tetraethylene pentamine to 300-degrees-C. After drying in vacuum, an amorphous solid was obtained. Calcining this solid under argon at temperatures of up to 1200-degrees-C led to amorphous products, while at higher temperatures silicon carbide was obtained. Calcining in ammonia at temperatures of up to 1000-degrees-C also led to amorphous products. At calcination temperatures of 1200 and 1400-degrees-C crystalline silicon nitride and silicon nitride fibres respectively were obtained. The dependence of the fibre growth on the ammonia flow rate, as well as the occurrence of spherical iron-enriched particles terminating these fibres gave evidence for a vapour-liquid-solid mechanism being responsible for the fibre growth.