Dimethyldiacetoxysilane is a clear to yellowish liquid with acrid odor of acetic acid (vinegar). It hydrolyzes in the presence of moisture (acetic acid is released) to form silanols, which can react with themselves to pro-duce siloxanes or bind to inorganic substrates.
Acetoxy silanes are more reactive than alkoxysilanes. Acetoxy silanes are frequently used as one-component mixtures to make RTV-1 silicone sealants. These mixtures have an excess of multi-functional acetoxy silane added to silanol-terminated PDMS, which results in a PDMS chain with acetoxy groups at the ends. When this compound is exposed to moisture some acetoxy groups are hydrolyzed and self-condense or react with other acetoxy and rapid crosslinking takes place. Acetic acid formation is one of the driving forces of this reaction.
