Purification of hydrosilanes and siloxanes

A process for the continuous purification of hydrogen-containing silanes comprising (1) contacting said adsorbent bed with a first volume of the hydrogen-containing silane which is selected from the class consisting of CH.sub.3 (H)SiCl.sub.2, HSiCl.sub.3, (CH.sub.3).sub.2 HSiCl.sub.3, and H.sub.2 SiCl.sub.2 until the bed is thoroughly wetted;

• wherein the adsorbent bed is formed from molecular sieves having a size varying from 1/8 of an inch to 125 microns, (2) waiting until the adsorbent bed has reached room temperature, (3) segregating said first volume of silanes, (4) continuously passing additional volumes of the hydrogen-containing silanes through said adsorbent bed so as to remove all impurities therefrom which would poison a platinum catalyst, (5) removing the purified hydrogen-containing silanes, (6) recycling said segregated first volume of hydrogen-containing silanes through said adsorbent bed so as to purify them, (7) discarding said adsorbent bed when it is saturated with impurities, and (8) continuously passing said hydrogen-containing silanes through a new adsorbent bed which has already been wetted with silanes so as to continuously remove purified hydrogen-containing silanes wherein the adsorption process is carried out at a temperature in the range of 0.degree. to 35.degree. C., wherein said hydrogen-containing silanes and siloxanes have a residence time in said adsorbent bed varying from 0.5 to 10 hours, wherein from 75 to 500 pounds of such hydrogen-containing silanes are purified per pound of adsorbent material in said adsorbent bed before said adsorbent material has to be replaced and wherein said hydrogen-containing silanes are passed through said bed at a rate varying from 5 to 800 pounds per hour, per square foot of adsorbent bed cross-sectional area.