HMDSO is used as an internal standard to calibrate chemical shifts in H NMR spectra. Its volatility is lower than the standard tetramethylsilane, but it still shows only singlet near 0 ppm, so it is easier to operate.
The solvating power of HMDSO is... moreHMDSO is used as an internal standard to calibrate chemical shifts in H NMR spectra. Its volatility is lower than the standard tetramethylsilane, but it still shows only singlet near 0 ppm, so it is easier to operate.
The solvating power of HMDSO is even worse than that of alkanes. Therefore, it is sometimes used to crystallize highly lipophilic compounds.
It is used in liquid bandages (sprayed on plasters), such as caviar sprays, to protect damaged skin from other body fluids. It can also be used to soften and remove adhesive residues left by medical tapes and bandages without causing further skin irritation.
HMDSO is currently being researched to manufacture low-k dielectric materials for the semiconductor industry by PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition).
HMDSO has been used as a reporter molecule to measure tissue oxygen tension (pO2). HMDSO is highly hydrophobic and has high gas solubility, so it has a strong nuclear magnetic resonance spin lattice relaxation rate (R1) for changes... less