Very fast and efficient synthesis of some novel substituted 2-arylbenzimidazoles in water using ZrOCl2•nH2O on montmorillonite K10 as catalyst

A simple and eco-friendly protocol for the synthesis of some novel substituted 2-arylbenzimidazoles was developed. In this process, these compounds were prepared in water as the solvent using ZrOCl2 center dot nH(2)O supported on montmorillonite K10 as an efficient water tolerating Lewis acid. The reaction was performed under mild conditions with good to excellent yields and remarkable chemoselectivity in the absence of any byproduct.