Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Synthesis of 1,2,5-Trisubstituted Imidazoles via a Multicomponent Reaction of Vinyl Azides with Aromatic Aldehydes and Aromatic Amines

A facile
and efficient approach to the synthesis of 1,2,5-trisubstituted
imidazoles is developed via a multicomponent reaction under metal-free
catalysis. Under Brønsted acid catalysis, the desired products
can be obtained from readily available vinyl azides, aromatic aldehydes,
and aromatic amines without generating any toxic waste. The convenient
operations and high functional group compatibility indicate that this
approach offers an attractive alternative method for the synthesis
of imidazole derivatives.