Rapid synthesis of 3-aminoimidazo[1,2-alpha] pyridines and pyrazines

p-Toluenesulfonic acid catalyzed the one-pot, three-component synthesis of 3-aminoimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and pyrazines through a condensation reaction of a 2-aminoazine, an aldehyde, and an isocyanide at room temperature. This methodology affords a number of 3-aminoimidazo[1,2-a] pyridines in reasonable yields and short reaction times without any significant optimization of the reaction conditions.