Using Model Systems to Enhance Understanding of Silica Surface Reactions Jonathan P. Blitz, Department of Chemistry, Eastern Illinois University Chemistry at surfaces plays a crucial role in all sciences. The ability to alter the chemical nature of surfaces has enormous implications, and has been applied for the synthesis of functional materials. Silica is a very important and widely available material, and surface functionalized silicas have been used in a wide variety of industrial applications. A fundamental understanding of exactly how the surface is modified is lacking, because of the complexity of these reactions. Recently model systems which more closely mimic the chemistry of silica have been developed, which is why we have chosen to undertake studies using model systems to obtain a fundamental understanding of this already industrially important chemistry. We have investigated aminosilane reactions with model silicas because such materials are widely used many applications the chemistry is inherently interesting due to a catalytic effect Using a combination of experimental and computational methods we have studied the role of solvent on reaction rate the role of temperature on reaction rate the mechanism of reaction