These new groups 'protect' the original functional group by removing the labile protons and decreasing the basicity of the heteroatom. Silylation in organic synthesis īy the process of silylation, polar functional groups such as alcohols and amines readily undergo reaction with trimethylsilyl chloride, giving trimethylsilyl ethers and trimethylsilyl amines. Similarly, trimethylsilyl chloride is also used to silanize laboratory glassware, making the surfaces more lipophilic. The related reaction of trimethylsilyl chloride with alcohols can be exploited to produce anhydrous solutions of hydrochloric acid in alcohols, which find use in the mild synthesis of esters from carboxylic acids and nitriles as well as, acetals from ketones. In a characteristic reaction of TMSCl, the nucleophile is water, resulting in hydrolysis to give the hexamethyldisiloxane:Ģ Me 3SiCl + H 2O → Me 3Si-O-SiMe 3 + 2 HCl TMSCl is reactive toward nucleophiles, resulting in the replacement of the chloride. Typically about 2–4% of the product stream is the monochloride, which forms an azeotrope with MeSiCl 3.

X MeCl + Si → Me 3SiCl, Me 2SiCl 2, MeSiCl 3, other products The principal target of this process is dimethyldichlorosilane, but substantial amounts of the trimethyl and monomethyl products are also obtained. TMSCl is prepared on a large scale by the direct process, the reaction of methyl chloride with a silicon-copper alloy.

Diarly ketone synthesis