A related series of bis(phosphine) platinum complexes 1-5 and 6-8 bearing dichalcogenate acenaphthylene ligands have been synthesised. The chalcogen-chalcogen bonds in the parent acenaphtho[5,6-cd]-1,2-dichalcogenoles (AcenapylE 2 ; L1 E = S, L2 E = Se; Acenapyl = acenaphthylene-5,6-diyl) were reduced with two equivalents of lithium triethylborohydride to form the dilithio-species. Metathetical addition of the lithium dichalcogenate species to a suspension of the appropriate cisdichlorobis(phosphine)platinum in THF resulted in the formation of platinum (II) complexes [Pt(5,6-AcenapylE 2 )(PR 3 ) 2 ] (1 E = S, R 3 = Ph 3 ; 2 E = S, R 3 = Ph 2 Me; 3 E = S, R 3 = PhMe 2 ; 4 E = S, R 3 = Me 3 ; 6 E = Se, R 3 = Ph 3 ; 7 E = Se, R 3 = Ph 2 Me; 8 E = Se, R 3 = PhMe 2 ). The dilithio-species of L1 and L2 were also reacted with (1,5-cyclooctadiene)platinum(II) dichloride.This reaction was successful with L1 resulting in the formation of platinum complex [Pt(5,6-AcenapylS 2 )(COD)] (5).Complexes 1-3 and 5-8 have been fully characterised, principally by multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, IR and MS. Secondary isotopomer effects create complex satellite systems observed in both the 31 P{ 1 H} NMR and 77 Se NMR spectra of selenium complexes 6-8. X-ray structures were determined for L1, 1, 3 and 6 and analysed, where appropriate, by measuring the peri-distance, splay angle magnitude, peri-atom displacement, central naphthalene ring torsions and the geometry around the platinum centre. Platinum was found to adopt a distorted square-planar geometry in all three complexes. Complex 1 was found to have the greatest molecular distortion of all three complexes, showing that changing the phosphine group and also the chalcogen has a noticeable effect. Comparisons were made between 6 and our previously reported [Pt(NapSe 2 )(PPh 3 ) 2 ] and [Pt(AcenapSe 2 )(PPh 3 ) 2 ] complexes; the level of distortion was found to decrease as the backbone is altered from naphthalene to acenaphthylene.