SummaryThe thermal stability of silicones can be improved on replacement of certain of the oxygen atoms in the polymer backbone by phenyl groups. Such a polymer has been synthesized and evaluated foruseasstationaryphaseinfusedsilica capillarygas chromatography; the polymer was dimethyl substituted and silanol terminated. A selectivity was provided by the phenyl groups in the backbone. For comparative purposes, a silanolterminated dimethylpolysiloxane has also been evaluated. Both stationary phases gave columns of highest separation efficiency and the supporting fused silica surface was deactivated bythestationary phaseson thermal treatment. Further, low column bleeding was observed at the maximum temperature tested, 370OC. The phenyl-containing phase could be immobilized to 60% by heat treatment, but the pure dimethylpolysiloxane was 10% immobilized.Theinfluenceon immobilizationoffactors such as nature of the supporting surface, stationary phase silanol content, reaction temperature and atmosphere in the column during reaction has been studied.