Dimethylacetamide (DMAc) acts as an efficient source of acetyl and dimethylamine gas in the presence of N,N-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI). Addition of amines to the reaction mixture delivers the corresponding amides in good to excellent yields. The acetylation of amines reported herein, which relies on the in situ generation of N-acetylimidazole on warming of DMAc with CDI at 120-125 °C, serves as a convenient alternative to other acetylation methods. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.