In organosilicon chemistry, silanes are a diverse class of charge-neutral organic compounds with the general formula SiR4. The R substituents can be any combination of organic[1] or inorganic groups.[2] Most silanes contain Si-C bonds, and are discussed under organosilicon compounds. Some contain Si-H bonds and are discussed under hydrosilanes.
By tradition, compounds with Si-O-Si bonds are usually not referred to as silanes. Instead, they are called siloxanes. One example is hexamethyldisiloxane, ((CH
3)
3Si)
2O.
See compound-specific applications. Commonly: