Reactions of silicon atoms recoiling from the 3'P(n,p)31Si nuclear transformation in phosphine-butadiene mixtures yield [31Si]-1 -silacyclopent-3-ene, also obtained in 46% yield from reaction of thermally generated SiH2 with butadiene, and a product believed to be [31Si]-l-silacyclopenta-2,4-diene. The variation of product yields with the composition of PH3-SiH4-C4H6 recoil reaction mixtures casts doubt on the participation of ground-state singlet silylene 31SiH2 as a reactive intermediate, as does the failure to detect any of the thermal adduct of silylene to cyclopentadiene l-silacyclohexa-2,4-diene from the reactions of 31Si in P H~-S~H~-C -C~H~ mixtures. Alternative mechanisms are considered. Thermally generated Me2Si does not abstract hydrogen atoms from Me,SiH, but inserts into the Si-H bond.