Trichloromethanesulfonyl chloride (CCl3SO2Cl), a commercially available reagent, has been found to perform efficiently in the α-chlorination of aldehydes, including its catalytic asymmetric version, under very mild reaction conditions. Under our reaction conditions, this compound outperforms typical chlorinating reagents for organic synthesis, facilitates workup and purification of the product, and minimizes the formation of toxic, chlorinated organic waste.