The reaction of CeCl3 . MeLi to tertiary amides has been studied. The reagent prepared from cerium(III) chloride and methyllithium at 0 degrees C adds cleanly to morpholine amides to give the corresponding methyl ketones. Even in the presence of a large excess of the reagent, no tertiary alcohol formation is observed, indicating that the tetrahedral intermediates are stable under the reaction conditions employed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.