Alumina Sulfuric Acid as an Efficient and Recyclable Heterogeneous Catalyst for the O-Silylation of Alcohols,Phenols, and Oximes

Alumina sulfuric acid as a recyclable catalyst conducts the transformation of various types of alcohol, phenols, and oximes with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) to the corresponding O-trimethylsilylated compounds in good to excellent yields under mild and ambient conditions with short reaction times. The method is highly selective for the conversion of primary alcohols in the presence of secondary and tertiary alcohols. Additionally, the catalyst can be easily recovered and reused at least eight times without detectable loss of reactivity.