Patent ID: 8822620

Claim:
A reaction mixture comprising: (i) water; (ii) an acid-stable solvent for the water; (iii) a solid strong cationic hydrolysis and condensation catalyst; and (iv) an R-trialkoxysilane; wherein R comprises a group bonded to the silicon atom and is independently selected from the group consisting of R 1 , R 2 and R 3 , wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are independently selected from the group consisting of (i) H or an alkyl groups having one to about 20 carbon atoms, (ii) cycloalkyl groups having 3 to about 20 carbon atoms, (iii) alkylaryl groups having 7 to about 20 carbon atoms, and (iv) R 5 X, wherein X is selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, SH, S a R 6 , NR 6 2 , OR 6 , CO 2 H, CO 2 R 6 , SCOR 6 , OH, olefins, epoxides, amino groups, vinyl groups, acrylates and methacrylates, wherein a=2 to about 8, R 5 is selected from the group consisting of alkylene groups having one to about 20 carbon atoms, cycloalkylene groups having 3 to about 20 carbon atoms, and R 4 and R 6 are selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups having one to about 5 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl groups having 3 to about 20 carbon atoms, and alkylaryl groups having 7 to about 20 carbon atoms; wherein the reaction mixture forms alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes that consist essentially of a mixture of alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes having an open structure with a reactive alkoxysilyl group, and are essentially free of closed caged polyhedral organosilsesquioxanes.