Used primarily as a reagent in organic synthesis, especially for the cleavage of ethers, esters, and protecting groups in complex molecule construction. It effectively removes methyl, benzyl, and other alkyl protecting groups from alcohols, phenols, and carboxylic acids under mild conditions. Commonly employed in pharmaceutical manufacturing and research laboratories for deprotection steps in the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Also utilized in the preparation of silicon-containing compounds, as a silylating agent to form trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of alcohols, phenols, and carboxylic acids, and as a derivatizing agent in analytical chemistry, particularly in mass spectrometry and gas chromatography, to enhance volatility and detection of polar compounds.