Wikipedia
Bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide
Bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide (BSA) is an organosilicon compound with the formula MeSiNC(OSiMe)Me (Me = CH). It is a colorless liquid that is soluble in diverse organic solvents, but reacts rapidly with compounds, including solvents and moisture, containing OH and NH functional groups. It is used in analytical chemistry for the derivatisation of compounds in analysis to increase their volatility, e.g. for gas chromatography. It is also used to introduce the trimethylsilyl protecting group in organic synthesis. A related reagent is N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA).