Snail shell as a natural and highly efficient catalyst for the synthesis of imidazole derivatives

A convenient, simple and green process for the synthesis of 2,4,5-triaryl-1H-imidazole and 1,2,4,5-tetraaryl-1H-imidazole derivatives using snail shell, which is abundant in Morocco, as a catalyst in ethanol at 40 °C has been developed. Additionally, short reaction times, excellent yields, simple procedure and relative non-toxicity of the catalyst are other noteworthy advantages and make this method an interesting alternative to other methodologies. Finally, this solid catalyst can be recovered and reused at least seven times with negligible loss in activity. The catalyst has been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and measuring the specific surface.