Water-dispersed gold nanoparticles decorated with an amphiphilic cyclotetrasiloxane scaffold hold promise for the catalytic transformation of diorganosilanes to tetraorganodisiloxane-1,3-diols, (RR¹SiOH)₂O [R = Me or Ph R¹ = Ph, cyclo-Hex] via en route formation of a Pickering emulsion. The recognition ability of these compounds toward Cl⁻ ions reveals 2 : 1 receptor-anion complexation.