Erythromycin A was transformed into clarithromycin by the sequence of reactions: selective thexyldimethylsilylation of the 9-oxime, trimethylsilylation of the 2',4 "-hydroxy groups, methylation of the resulting 2',4 "-[O-bis(trimethylsilyl)]-9-[O-(dimethylthexylsilyl)oxime] and acidic regeneration of the protected functionalities. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.