The invention relates to a method for cleaving silicon-silicon bindings and/or silicon-chlorine bindings in monosilanes, polysilanes, and/or oligosilanes. According to the invention, the monosilane, polysilane, and/or oligosilane is dissolved or suspended in an ether or in an ether-hydrochloric acid solution. Said method is used for example for preparing halogenated oligosilanes from halogenated polysilanes and for preparing siloxanes from organochlorosilanes and chlorinated monosilanes. Said method is particularly simple to carry out and as a result is economical.

A process for preparing trimethylchlorosilane (M3) and methyltrichlorosilane (M1) by disproportionation of dimethyldichlorosilane (M2) in the presence of an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 catalyst is described herein. The dimethyldichlorosilane used is in the form of a silane mixture that includes 80-100% by weight of dimethyldichlorosilane (M2). The difference in content from 100% by weight includes M1 and M3.