TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The ionic liquid is imidazolium, pyridinium or pyrrolidinium (all optionally substituted), where each of the cations may have a counter-ion including halide, dicyanamide, sulfonate, phosphonate, bis-trifluoromethylsulfonyl-imide or acetate. The ionic liquid is allyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium dicyanamide, 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium dicyanamide or butyl pyridinium halide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Method: The method is carried out at -20 degrees C to 200 degrees C, preferably between room temperature to 100 degrees C. The method comprises: dissolution of the polysaccharide in at least one ionic liquid at -20 degrees C to 200 degrees C, preferably between room temperature to 100 degrees C; optionally adding a base to the obtained mixture; and adding the silanization agent to the obtained mixture. Preferred Components: The polysaccharides are cellulose and its derivatives including hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose or hydroxypropyloxy methoxycellulose. The silanization agent is (3-glycidoxypropyl)trimethoxylsilane, bis-glycidoxypropyl tetramethyldisilazane or glycidoxypropyl triisopropoxysilane. EXAMPLE - In a container (50 ml), 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium dicyanamide (25 ml) was heated to 100 degrees C under magnetic stirring. E4M (RTM: Hydroxypropyloxy methoxycellulose) (0.80 g) was then slowly added and the mixture was stirred until complete dissolution of E4M (RTM: Hydroxypropyloxymethoxycellulose). Sodium hydroxide (0.26 g) was then suspended, and glycidyloxypropyl(trimethoxysilane) (1 ml) was finally added to the container. The reaction mixture was stirred at 100 degrees C for 15 hours, and distilled water (10 ml) was added to the mixture to reduce viscosity. The reaction mixture was then dialysed for 3 days in an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (0.1 M) to give silylated hydroxypropyloxymethoxycellulose as a fine white powder (0.6974 g).