The homogeneous gas phase thermal decomposition of 1,1-Cl₂Si₂H₄ in a flow system was examined and shown to proceed via a silylene mechanism. Attempts to trap SiCl₂ radical with C₂H₃SiH₂ proved unsuccessful in the gas phase. The reactivity of the Cl₂Si-radical in the liquid vs. the gas-phase is discussed.
