''N'',''O''-Bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) is a chemical compound that is used to derivatise labile groups such as
hydroxyl
In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy ...
on other chemicals, with the more stable
trimethylsilyl
A trimethylsilyl group (abbreviated TMS) is a functional group in organic chemistry. This group consists of three methyl groups bonded to a silicon atom minus;Si(CH3)3 which is in turn bonded to the rest of a molecule. This structural group is ch ...
group, which protects the labile group and allows the compound to be used for analytical purposes or as a chemical reagent for synthesis of more complex molecules.
[Stalling DL, Gehrke CW, Zumwalt RW. A new silylation reagent for amino acids bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA). ''Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications''. 1968 May 23;31(4):616-22. {{PMID, 5656249] Siloxanes are usually more volatile than the corresponding hydroxyl compounds, and thus can be analyzed with
gas chromatography
Gas chromatography (GC) is a common type of chromatography used in analytical chemistry for separating and analyzing compounds that can be vaporized without decomposition. Typical uses of GC include testing the purity of a particular substance, ...
better than the parent compound.
References
Trimethylsilyl compounds