N-[3-(tert-Butyl­dimethyl­siloxymeth­yl)-5-nitro­phen­yl]acetamide

The title compound, C(15)H(24)N(2)O(4)Si, was prepared by the reaction of (3-acetamido-5-nitro-benz-yl)methanol with tert-butyl-dimethyl-silyl chloride and is a key inter-mediate in the synthesis of novel nonsymmetrical DNA minor groove-binding agents. There are two independent mol-ecules in the structure, which differ primarily in the rotation about the C-O bond next to the Si atom. Two strong N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds align the mol-ecules into a wide ribbon extending approximately parallel to the b axis.