Cerium(III) chloride heptahydrate in the presence of sodium iodide catalyses the Michael addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to α,β-unsaturated ketones and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with extraordinary efficiency. The very mild conditions allow high chemoselectivity as shown by the absence of the typical side reactions, which can be observed in the conventional base-catalyzed processes. More interestingly