A very efficient procedure for the protection of alcohols and phenols is presented. The mixture of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) and catalytic amounts of poly(4-vinylpyridinium tribromide) was found to be effective for the trimethylsilylation of alcohols and phenols. Protection reaction is very simple and performs heterogeneously in acetonitrile at room temperature under mild conditions.
