A sustainable approach which works under catalyst- and solvent-free conditions for the synthesis of structurally diverse secondary amines has been uncovered. This one-pot protocol works efficiently at room temperature and is compatible with a wide range of sterically and electronically diverse aldehydes and primary amines. Notably, this simple process offers scalability, excellent functional group tolerance, chemoselectivity, and is also effective at the synthesis of biologically relevant molecules. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.