Employing Burkhard Konig's l-(+)-tartaric acid-dimethyl urea (DMU) mixture as an efficient catalyst or as solvent for the Michael addition of various chalcones with N-arylhomophthalimides could successfully furnish the corresponding 4-subtituted-N-arylhomophthalides under mild conditions. The melts were found to be inexpensive, nontoxic, simple to use, high yielding, reusable, and biodegradable. © 2014 American Chemical Society.