Direct synthesis of tetraalkoxysilanes from silica and alcohols†

Published:14 February 2017 DOI: 10.1039/C6NJ03897B

Norihisa Fukaya, Seong Jib Choi, Toshio Horikoshi, Sho Kataoka, Akira Endo, Hiroshi Kumai, Minoru Hasegawa, Kazuhiko Sato and Jun-Chul Choi

Abstract

A new simple and efficient process for synthesizing tetraalkoxysilanes (TROS) directly from silica and alcohols was developed using molecular sieves as dehydrating agents. Using this method, a variety of TROS (R = ethoxy, n-propoxy, or n-butoxy) were obtained over 70% yields within 6 h. We also employed various natural silica sources in this process for practical applications.