Abstract Abstract α‐Halogenation of various carbonyl compounds such as β‐keto‐esters, cyclic ketones, and lactams with N‐halosuccinamides (NBS, NCS, NIS) in the presence of DMSO proceeded very smoothly to give the corresponding α‐monohalogenated products in good to excellent yields with high selectivity under catalyst‐free conditions. Keywords: carbonyl compoundscatalyst‐free conditionsα‐halogenationNBSNCSNIS Acknowledgments P. S. R. thanks the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, for the award of a senior research fellowship. M. M. thanks the director, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), for providing facilities to carrying out her dissertation work.