1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloroaluminate,[bmim] Cl· AlCl3, N= 0.67 and 1- butylpyridinium chloroaluminate,[bpy] Cl· AlCl3, N= 0.67 ionic liquids were found to work well as the Lewis acid catalyst and solvent in the Knoevenagel condensations of benzaldehyde and substituted benzaldehydes with diethyl malonate to give benzylidene malonates. The benzylidene malonates subsequently underwent Michael additions with ...