Aldehydes directly add in 1,4-manner to vinylketones in the presence of 0.5 eq. of diethylaminotrimethylsilane without a solvent to give 5-ketoaldehydes.
Direct 1,4-conjugate addition of naked aldehydes to vinylketones is catalysed effectively by N-methyl-3-aminopropylated FSM-16 mesoporous silica, which can be regarded as a novel heterogeneous catalysis for a practical C-C bond formation reaction.