The acid-catalyzed controlled hydrolytic polycondensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) provided polyethoxysiloxanes with weight-average molecular weights of 2300-11,700, which depended on the reaction molar ratios of the water, catalyst, and solvent to TEOS. They were soluble in common organic solvents and stable to self-condensation and were characterized with high silica contents of up to 67%. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.