text: Bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide (BSA) is an organosilicon compound with the formula  (Me = CH).  It is a colorless liquid that is soluble in diverse organic solvents, but reacts rapidly with moisture and solvents  containing OH and NH groups.  It is used in analytical chemistry to increase the volatility of analytes, 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).