An efficient and one-pot synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted and 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles catalyzed by InCl3·3H2O

InCl3·3H2O was found to be a mild and effective catalyst for the efficient, one-pot, three component synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazoles at room temperature. Moreover, the utility of this protocol was further explored conveniently for the one-pot, four component synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles in high yields.