**2.1 Functional groups and reactive silanes in silicon chemistry**

In organosilicon chemistry most important are following functional groups: Si-Cl, Si-OR, SiOCOR (R – usually alkyl group), Si-H, and Si-CH=CH2. They are present both in all kinds of organosilicon compounds and polymers and can be grafted on silica, silicates, and some inorganic fillers. Functional organic silanes include first of all: chlorosilanes, alkoxysilanes, and acetoxysilanes (e.g. dimethyldichlorosilane, methyltriethoxysilane, methyltriacetoxysilane, etc.), and different functional and carbofunctional silanes (Brook, 2000, Eaborn, 1960; Kricheldorf, 1996). Moreover very often are used inorganic chlorosilanes: silicon tetrachloride SiCl4, trichlorosilane HSiCl3, and dichlorosilane H2SiCl2, and silicate compounds: esters of silicic acid, and especially tetraethoxysilane Si(OEt)4, tetramethoxysilane Si(OMe)4, and tetracetoxysilane Si(OAc)4. Chlorosilanes are produced on an industrial scale by Rochow-Miller process, and their fast reactions with alcohols (or metal alkoxides) and carboxylic acids lead to appropriate alkoxysilanes or acyloxysilanes, respectively.
