The authors developed a simple inexpensive alternative to the known methods for the facilitation of the reaction between a carbonyl compound (or an imine) and a Grignard reagent. In some cases, the yields are increased from 20% to more than 80%. One of the features of the process is the suppression of the competitive reduction in the case of secondary alkyl magnesium reagents. ZnCl2 is much cheaper than other suitable reagents like LnCl3 and can be used in catalytic amounts (10 mol%). The method looks especially suitable for large-scale applications.