Several alkaline carbons (exchanged with Na, K, Cs, and their binary combinations) have been tested as basic catalysts in the N-alkylation of imidazole in dry media. The yields of the N-alkylated products, which are key intermediates in the synthesis of pharmaceutically important anticonvulsant and bactericidal products, were high. The catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption isotherms, thermal analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The influence of the alkaline promoter, the reaction temperature, and the amount of catalyst on the catalytic activity has been studied. The presence of two alkaline promoters on the carbon surface does not significantly increase the final activity of the carbons. The highest values of activity (70-75%) are obtained for the samples containing cesium. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.