Nanocrystalline magnesium oxide as solid base catalyst in the presence of iodine promoted one-pot synthesis of 2-substituted benzimidazole derivatives under mild conditions

An efficient single-step procedure for the synthesis of 2-substituted benzimidazole derivatives by nanocrystalline magnesium oxide as solid base catalyst under acetonitrile solvent at room temperature has been developed. The worldwide availability, larger scale synthesis, higher yields and shorter reaction times are the advantages of the present method.