Nano-SbCl5/SiO 2 as an Efficient Catalyst for One-Pot Synthesis of 2, 4, 5-Trisubstituted Imidazoles Under Solvent-Free Condition

A general synthetic route to the synthesis of imidazoles has been developed using nano SbCl 5 /SiO 2 under solvent-free conditions. The multi-component reactions of aldehydes, benzil and ammonium acetate were carried out to afford some trisubstituted imidazole derivatives. This method provides several advantages like simple work-up, environmentally benign, and shorter reaction times along with high yields. The mentioned nano catalyst was investigated by SEM, TEM and XRD. Meanwhile, structures of trisubstituted imidazoles were elucidated by FT-IR, 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR spectra.