Аннотация:Anionic polymerization of hexaethylcyclotrisiloxane (D-3(e)) and octaethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D-4(e)) initiated by potassium silanolate has been studied. According to the GLC and GPC data, the polymerization of strained D-3(e) includes the stage of rapid polymerizatlon followed by the stage of slower depolymerization. The polymerization of unstrained D-4(e) does not lead to the formation of a high-molecular poly(diethylsiloxane). In both cases, short-chain linear oligo(diethylsiloxanes) of the type KO-(D-e)(n)-K with n = 2 - 6 are formed in addition to the cyclic D-n(e) oligomers. Under the equilibrium polymerization conditions, active silanolate centers exhibit almost complete segregation in the linear short-chain oligo(diethylsiloxanes) of the type KO-(D-e)(n)-K. The data obtained indicate that poly(diethylsiloxane) is a thermodynamic unstable system, in which macromolecules can form only under unequilibrium polymerization conditions. The phase transitions in oligo(diethylsiloxanes) with M = 3140 and 11800 were studied by DSC and X-ray diffraction.