Patent ID: 7858818

Claim:
A process for using a nanosized copper catalyst precursor selected from the group consisting of nanosized copper, nanosized copper oxides, nanosized copper chlorides, other nanosized copper salts, and mixtures thereof as sources of catalytic copper in the direct synthesis of trialkoxysilane of formula HSi(OR) 3 wherein R is an alkyl group containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms inclusive, said process comprising: (a) forming a reaction mixture comprising a thermally stable solvent, silicon metal, a catalytically effective amount of said nanosized copper catalyst precursor having an average particle size in a range from about 0.1 to about 60 nanometers, wherein said thermally stable solvent is selected from the group consisting of linear paraffins, branched paraffins, cycloparaffins, alkylated benzenes, aromatic ethers and polyaromatic compounds, and said thermally stable solvent has a boiling point above 250° C.; (b) agitating and heating this mixture to form copper-activated silicon in situ and injecting into said reaction mixture methanol and/or ethanol vapor to react with said copper-activated silicon to produce said trialkoxysilane; and (c) recovering said trialkoxysilane from the reaction product.