Treatment of R 1 COR 2 with a suspension prepared from diiodomethane, trimethylaluminum and excess zinc in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature affords olefins R 1 R 2 C= CH 2 in fair (R 1, R 2= alkyl) to good (R 1= alkyl, R 2= H) yields. The ketone methylenation is better carried with another system consisting of CH 2 Br 2–Zn–TiCl 4. Ketones and aldehydes are transformed into α-chloro α, β-unsaturated esters or α, β- ...