Methylphenyldichlorosilane (MPDS, CH3C6H5SiCl2) is an important silicone monomer for the synthesis of high-performance polymethylphenylsiloxane polymers. In this work, the mechanism of the synthesis of MPDS from methyldichlorosilane and chlorobenzene by gas phase condensation was studied, and a kinetic model with 35 species and 58 elementary reactions was established. Experiments were carried out in a tubular reactor under a wide range of reaction conditions. The calculated mole fractions of the reactants and products were in a good agreement with the experimental results. A mechanism of the insertion of chloromethylsilylene into the C-Cl bond of chlorobenzene was proposed, which was proved to be the main pathway of MPDS production. The established kinetic model can be used in design and optimization of the industrial reactor for MPDS synthesis. (C) 2015 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.