Tetrabutylammonium Phthalimide-N-oxyl: An Efficient Organocatalyst for Trimethylsilylation of Alcohols and Phenols with Hexamethyldisilazane

Tetrabutylammonium phthalimide-N-oxyl (TBAPINO) was found to be an effective organocatalyst for rapid, simple and chemoselective protection of the hydroxyl group of alcohols and phenols using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) under mild conditions. The low catalyst loading, high to quantitative yields and simple removal of the catalyst from the reaction mixture illustrate the other attractive features of this protocol.