Zn(OAc)2•2H2O-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of divergently substituted Imidazoles

Wide range of 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazoles were synthesized using eco-friendly, readily available, inexpensive Zn(OAc)2•2H2O (5 mol%) under solvent-free conditions in moderate to excellent yields by condensation from aldehyde, ammonium acetate and benzil at 70 0C. The optimized reaction parameters were successfully applied for the synthesis of divergent 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstitued imidazoles using aromatic amine as fourth component. All the imidazole derivatives were sufficiently characterized by IR, NMR and Mass spectral analyses.