https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_sand"...silica, exposing it to vapors of trimethylsilanol (CH
3)
3SiOH"
"Upon exposure, the trimethylsilane compound bonds to the silica particles while forming water."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimethylsilanol"...used to apply hydrophobic coating on silicate surfaces. It reacts with the silanol groups of the substrate"
Both claims by Wiki suggest that HO- groups at the surface of silica react with the -OH of trimethylsilanol to form an Si-O-Si link and eliminate H
20.
I've seen this very recently on ChemicalForums about a process for semiconductors. Something like a step to bond silicon with a polymer.
Though, the question seems to ignore end groups at the silica. "Neutralization" would then suggest the formation of a silicate. The result looks the same to my eyes, with one water molecule less.
Then, a superficial O=Si(-O-etc')-O-etc would half-open the O=Si to react with two (CH
3)
3Si-O-H, eliminate only one H
2O to create [(CH
3)
3Si-O-]
2Si(-O-etc')-O-etc.
Or even, the question expects you to seek the ester of the nonexisting diacid, then [(CH
3)
3Si-O-]
2Si0.
What I dislike about the question:
- SiO
2 is already misleading. A solid is not a single molecule. O atoms bond with two Si atoms.
- If this is really about surface reactions, it can't be understood nor written as a volume reaction.
- It ignores the transformations that preexist at the surface of any solid. The surface of silica isn't SiO
2.