One-pot Synthesis of 2H-imidazoles from 1,2-Diketones, Ketones, and Ammonium Acetate

Herein, we report a multicomponent reaction for the efficient synthesis of polysubstituted 2H-imidazoles from readily available 1,2-diketones, ketones, and ammonium acetate under transition-metal-free conditions. Both nitrogen atoms in the resulting 2H-imidazole products are derived from the cost-effective inorganic ammonium acetate. This protocol achieves the cleavage of three C-O bonds and the formation of four C-N bonds in a single operation. The advantages of this protocol include low cost, broad substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, and high atom- and step-economy.