Silicones:
They are a group of organo silicon polymers, which have -R2SiO- as a repeating unit. The starting materials for the manufacture of silicones are alkyl or aryl substituted silicon chlorides, RnSiCl(4-n), where R = alkyl or aryl group.
Preparation of silicones:
When methyl chloride reacts with silicon in the presence of copper as a catalyst at 573K, various types of methyl substituted chlorosilanes are obtained with small amount of Me4Si. Hydrolysis of dimethyl – dichlorosilane followed by condensation polymerisation forms silicone.
