Method of preparing an organohalosilane

1. A method of preparing at least one organohalosilane, the method comprising the following separate and consecutive steps:

a first step [Rxn (i)] of contacting a copper catalyst with a mixture comprising hydrogen (H2) gas and one or more halogenated silane monomers; wherein the residence time of the copper catalyst being in contact with the hydrogen gas and halogenated silane monomers is from 0.1 second to 45 minutes at a temperature between 500° C. and 950° C. to form a silicon-containing copper catalyst comprising at least 0.1% (w/w) of silicon; and

a second step [Rxn (ii)] of contacting the silicon-containing copper catalyst with an organohalide at a temperature of from 100° C. to 600° C. to form at least one organohalosilane;

wherein the halogenated silane monomers include RSiX3, HSiX3, or a mixture thereof; and optionally with SiX4 being added thereto, such that R is an alkyl group having between 1 to 10 carbon atoms and X is independently selected as a chloro, bromo, fluoro, or iodo group;

wherein the copper catalyst is selected from copper and a mixture comprising copper and at least one element selected from gold, magnesium, calcium, cesium, tin, nickel, and sulfur; and

wherein the organohalosilane is a diorganodihalosilane.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optional SiX4 added as part of the halogenated silane monomers is silicon tetrachloride.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a third step [Rxn(iii)] in which the separate and consecutive first and second steps are repeated one or more times.

4. A method of preparing at least one organohalosilane, the method comprising the following separate and consecutive steps:

a first step [Rxn (i)] of contacting a copper catalyst with a mixture comprising hydrogen (H2) gas and one or more halogenated silane monomers at a temperature of from 500° C. to 1400° C. to form a silicon-containing copper catalyst comprising at least 0.1% (w/w) of silicon; and

a second step [Rxn (ii)] of contacting the silicon-containing copper catalyst with an organohalide at a temperature of from 100° C. to 600° C. to form at least one organohalosilane;

wherein the halogenated silane monomers include RSiX3, HSiX3, or a mixture thereof; and optionally with SiX4 being added thereto, such that R is an alkyl group having between 1 to 10 carbon atoms and X is independently selected as a chloro, bromo, fluoro, or iodo group;

wherein the copper catalyst is selected from copper and a mixture comprising copper and at least one element selected from gold, magnesium, calcium, cesium, tin, nickel, and sulfur; and

wherein the organohalosilane is a diorganodihalosilane; and

purging the silicon-containing copper catalyst formed in Rxn (i) with at least one of hydrogen gas or an inert gas prior to the contacting said catalyst with the organohalide in Rxn (ii).

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the silicon-containing copper catalyst is first purged with hydrogen gas and then subsequently purged with an inert gas.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copper catalyst comprises copper in an amount between 0.1 to 80% (w/w) of the total weight of the catalyst.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copper catalyst further includes a metal oxide or carbon-based support.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copper catalyst comprises copper and nickel.

9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the support is activated carbon.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the silicon-containing copper catalyst formed in Rxn (i) comprises from 0.1 to 55% (w/w) of silicon based on the total weight of the silicon-containing copper catalyst.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mole ratio of hydrogen gas to halogenated silane monomers including any optional SiX4 is from 10:1 to 1:1.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the halogenated silane monomers, the R is a methyl group and X is a chloro group.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organohalide has the formula R′X′, where R′ is a C1-C10 alkyl group or a C4-C10 cycloalkyl group, and X′ is a chloro, bromo, fluoro, or iodo group.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein R′ is a methyl group and X′ is a chloro group.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organohalosilane has the formula R″2SiX″2, where R″ is a C1-C10 alkyl group or a C4-C10 cycloalkyl group, and X″ is a fluoro, chloro, bromo, or iodo group.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein R″ is a methyl group and X″ is a chloro group.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of recovering the organohalosilane.

18. A method comprising the following separate and consecutive steps:

a first step [Rxn (i)] of contacting a copper catalyst with a mixture comprising hydrogen (H2) gas and one or more halogenated silane monomers; wherein the residence time of the copper catalyst being in contact with the hydrogen gas and halogenated silane monomers is from 0.1 second to 45 minutes at a temperature between 500° C. and 950° C. to form a silicon-containing copper catalyst comprising at least 0.1% (w/w) of silicon; and

a second step [Rxn (ii)] of contacting the silicon-containing copper catalyst with an organohalide at a temperature of from 100° C. to 600° C. to form at least one organohalosilane;

wherein the halogenated silane monomers include RSiX3, HSiX3, or a mixture thereof; and optionally with SiX4 being added thereto, such that R is an alkyl group having between 1 to 10 carbon atoms and X is independently selected as a chloro, bromo, fluoro, or iodo group;

wherein the copper catalyst is selected from copper and a mixture comprising copper and at least one element selected from gold, magnesium, calcium, cesium, tin, nickel, and sulfur, and

wherein the organohalosilane is a diorganodihalosilane;

wherein the method further comprises the step of hydrolyzing the organohalosilane to form a polyorganosiloxane.