Highly efficient procedure for the conjugate addition of amines to electron deficient alkenes catalyzed by novel ionic liquid

A highly efficient procedure has been developed for the conjugate addition of amines to electron deficient alkenes. The novel ionic liquid HO₃S-bPy]FeCl₄] with both Lewis and Brønsted acid sites has been synthesized successfully for the reactions. The results show that the catalyst was very efficient for the conjugate addition of amines to electron deficient alkenes with excellent yields in several minutes. This method has several key features including operational simplicity, no need of any solvent, low cost of the catalyst used, high yields, reusability, excellent chemoselectivity, and wide applicability.