Silanol groups, dropSi-OH, on the surface of silica were esterified with unsaturated alcohols and long-chain alcohols bearing thiol groups. The modified silicas obtained were used as substrates for a vulcanization-analogous reaction with sulfur catalyzed by zinc dimethyidithiocarbamate. Surface-esterified thiols could be smoothly converted to bridged polysulfides bonded to the silica surface, whereas the use of surface-esterified unsaturated alcohols led to removal of the surface-esterified alcohol from the silica surface. The materials were characterized by solid-state NMR and thermal and microanalytical analysis. The linking of surface-esterified alkenols and thiols by sulfide bridges was investigated by a numerical model for a flat surface. This showed that for a typical density of 3-4 mumol/m(2) surface groups, a statistical maximum of 70-75% of groups could be linked by S-n bridges (n = 2-4).