One‐Pot, Three‐Component Borrowing Hydrogen/Cyclization Synthesis of Benzimidazoles

Abstract

AbstractMulticomponent reactions are an efficient toolbox of access to complex compounds, but the development of multicomponent reactions involved in benzimidazole synthesis is still limited. Herein, a one‐pot, three‐component reaction involving nitrobenzene, benzyl alcohol, and sulfonyl azide was developed for the synthesis of benzimidazoles employing Co‐complexes (Salen Co‐NHPI) as catalyst, which by self‐assembly from salen ligands, organic nitrogen hydroxyl compounds, and CoCl2. Compared with previously reported three‐component methods for the construction of benzimidazoles, this method involves a novel hydrogen borrowing/cyclization and can provide a variety of benzimidazole in moderate to excellent yields.