One-pot synthesis of highly substituted imidazoles using molecular iodine: a versatile catalyst

Molecular iodine has been used an efficient catalyst for an improved and rapid one-pot synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted and 1,2,4,5-tetra substituted imidazoles in excellent yields. The significant features of the iodine-catalyzed condensation are operational simplicity, inexpensive reagents, high yield of products and the use of non-toxic reagents