Zirconium(IV) Chloride–Mediated Chemoselective Conjugate Addition of Aliphatic Amines to α,β‐Ethylenic Compounds

Zirconium chloride efficiently catalyzes the conjugate addition of a variety of aliphatic amines to α,β‐unsaturated ester, nitriles, and ketones to give the corresponding β‐amino derivatives in excellent yields under mild reaction conditions. Aromatic amines do not participate in this transformation.