Silanol functional groups, reactive

Silanol functional groups have been long recognized as reactive intermediates in silicon chemistry. They are formed in the hydrolysis of silanes with various silicon functional groups, such as halosilanes, alkoxysilanes, etc., and then transformed into siloxanes by spontaneous or catalytic condensation. Owing to this tendency, only a limited number of organosilanols have so far been synthesized. 

A new convenient polymer modification for the conversion of the Si—H to Si—OH by the selective oxidation of the Si—H bond by dimethyldioxirane has been described. The oxyfunctionalization of the silane precursor polymers proceeded rapidly and quantitatively and can be applied to the synthesis of a wide variety of novel silanol polymers with specific properties from the corresponding precursor polymers containing Si—H functional groups. Control over the properties of these silanol polymers, such as reactivity and self-association of silanols, was realized through the placement of different substitute groups bonded directly to the silicon atom and by the variation of silanol composition in a copolymer. These novel silanol polymers with a... 

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