Treatment of ortho-dimethylarsinoaniline (NASH 2 ) with 1.0 equivalents of LiBu t or 0.5 equivalents of MgBu 2 in tetrahydrofuran affords the complexes [{Li(NASH)(thf) 2 } 2 ] (1) and [Mg(NASH) 2 (thf) 1.5 ] (2) (NASH ¼ NHC 6 H 4 AsMe 2 -2). Both complexes have been characterised spectroscopically. The crystal structure determination of 1 reveals a centrosymmetric dimeric structure with an Li 2 N 2 central unit that does not exhibit arsino-lithium donor interactions. Compound 2 reacts with dimethylsilicone grease to yield the unexpected complex [{Mg 2 (m 2 :Z 1 -NHC 6 H 4 AsMe 2 ) 2 (m 3 :Z 3 -OSiMe 2 NC 6 H 4 AsMe 2 )(thf)} 2 ] (3), via the novel and unprecedented insertion of a dimethylsilanone fragment into an Mg-N bond. Compound 3 is tetranuclear with a 12-membered Mg 4 N 6 O 2 double stacked cube centre that has Mg atoms residing at alternate corners of each cube. The arsino functionalities of the modified Z 3 -bound ligands co-ordinate to Mg atoms on the vertices.