Siloxides are chemical compounds with the formula R3SiOM, where R is usually an organic group and M is usually a metal cation.
They also arise by the degradation of siloxanes by base:[1] Cleavage of cyclic siloxanes affords siloxides: These anions function as ligands for metal ions, forming complexes similar to metal alkoxides.
Sodium trimethylsiloxide is useful for generating metal complexes by salt metathesis reactions.
A very bulky siloxide is tert-butyl3SiO−, sometimes called silox.
Siloxides are weaker net donors than alkoxides because pπ-d donation has to compete with backbonding from the oxygen atom into the low-lying Si-C σ* orbitals.