Ionic liquid [EMIM]OAc under ultrasonic irradiation towards the first synthesis of trisubstituted imidazoles

The ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazole acetate ([EMIM]OAc) was found to be a mild and effective catalyst for the efficient, one-pot, three-component synthesis of 2-aryl-4,5-diphenyl imidazoles at room temperature under ultrasonic irradiation. This procedure has many obvious advantages compared to those reported in the previous literatures, including avoiding the use of harmful catalysts, reacting at room temperature, high yields, simplicity of the methodology. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.