Trimethylsilyl iodide is used to introduce the
trimethylsilyl group onto
alcohols (ROH): : This type of reaction may be useful for
gas chromatography analysis; the resultant
silyl ether is more volatile than the underivatized original materials. However, for the preparation of bulk trimethylsilylated material,
trimethylsilyl chloride may be preferred due to its lower cost. TMSI reacts with
alkyl ethers (ROR′), forming
silyl ethers () and iodoalkanes (RI) that can be hydrolyzed to alcohols (ROH). Trimethylsilyl iodide is also used for the removing of the
Boc protecting group, especially where other deprotection methods are too harsh for the substrate. ==References==