Abstract: | The conjugate addition of some (hetero)aromatic amides to an α,β‐unsaturated ester (ethyl acrylate) proceeds efficiently in the presence of an equimolar amount of the CsF–Si(OEt)4 system to afford the corresponding ethyl esters of N‐substituted β‐amino acids. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |