Saturated silicon-oxygen hydrides with unbranched or branched chains of alternating
silicon and oxygen atoms (each silicon atom is separated from its nearest silicon
neighbours by single oxygen atoms). The general structure of unbranched siloxanes
is
H3Si[OSiH2]nOSiH3.
H3Si[OSiH2]nOSiH[OSiH2OSiH3]2
is an example of a branched siloxane. By extension
hydrocarbyl derivatives are commonly included.
Source:
PAC, 1995, 67, 1307
(Glossary of class names of organic compounds and reactivity intermediates based on
structure (IUPAC Recommendations 1995))
on page 1366