Synthesis of fused imidazole rings by sequential van Leusen/C-H bond activation

A concise route to access fused imidazole rings employing the van Leusen three-component reaction followed by a Pd/Cu catalyzed intramolecular Garylation is reported. The reaction was found to be general and the products were formed in moderate to excellent yields using the two-step reaction sequence. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.