Herein, a metal-free method for the synthesis of quinazolines from 2-aminophenyl ketones and 2,2,2‑trichloroethyl imidates hydrochloride in the presence of sodium acetate is reported. The present approach has advantages including mild reaction conditions, readily available starting materials, and gram-scale synthesis. This methodology leads to an efficient construction of various quinazoline derivatives in moderate to high yields.