Process for producing an organic silicon compound

An improved process for producing organo halogeno silane having a trifluoromethyl phenol radical comprises reacting halogenated trifluoromethyl benzene with halogeno silane having a single silicon hydrogen bond by employing ionizing radiation to obtain from the starting materials organo silane in high yield at a conversion rate of about 50%. The halogenated trifluoromethyl benzene may have chlorine or fluorine as the halogen element in the ortho-, meta- or para- position with respect to the trifluoromethyl radical of the trifluoromethyl benzene. The halogeno silane having a single silicon bond has the general formula RaSiHb x sub(4-a-b), where R is an alkyl or allyl radical, X is a halogen atom, a is 0,1 or 2, and b is 1 or 2, with a + b equal to 1, 2 or 3. Gamma rays, X-rays, electron beams or the like may be used with a dose rate of 0.1 Mrad/hr at a temperature of 150 - 3500C. In one embodiment, 90g of m-chloro trifluoromethyl benzene and 68g of trichloro silane were reacted in a nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature of 2500C and under a pressure of 50kg/cm3 by irradiating the starting materials with gamma rays for 7 hours at a dose rate of 1 x 106 rad/hr. Upon distillation of 150g of the reaction product, 54.7g of m-trifluoromethyl phenol were obtained and 47.3g of m-chloro-trifluoromethyl benzene recovered. (Owens, K. J.)