Full text can be accessed at https://profile.thieme.de/HTML/sso/ejournals/login.htm?rdeLocaleAttr=en&type=default&subsidiary=www.thieme-connect.com&hook_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thieme-connect.com%2Fproducts%2Fejournals%2Fpdf%2F10.1055%2Fs-1998-1731.pdfSolid bases prepared by derivatisation of amorphous silica and hexagonal mesoporous silica with dimethylaminopropyl groups are good catalysts for Michael addition reactions. Of the prepared catalysts, those based on hexagonal mesoporous silica show particularly high activities. The sol-gel method used in preparing the catalysts based on hexagonal mesoporous silica enables loading to be increased to more than twice that of those based on amorphous silica which are prepared by the post-modification method.