At equilibrium, the reaction results in a mixture of cyclic oligomers plus a distribution of linear polymers. The proportion
of cyclics will depend on the substituents along the Si–O chain, the temperature, and the presence of a solvent.
Polymer chain length will depend on the presence and concentration of substances capable of giving chain ends. For example, in the KOH-catalyzed polymerization of the cyclic tetramer octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (Me2SiO)4 (or D4 in shorthand notation), the average length of the polymer chains will depend on the KOH concentration