Fe(OTf) 3 -catalyzed practical synthesis of 2-trifluoromethylarylimidazoles from o -arylenediamines and hexafluoroacetylacetone

Abstract An iron-catalyzed practical synthesis of 2-trifluoromethylarylimidazoles through condensation of o -arylenediamines and hexafluoroacetylacetone followed by intramolecular addition and C–C bond cleavage in one-pot has been developed. A series of title compounds were obtained with up to 99% yield. This method is quite practical and suitable for scalable preparation due to simple experimental procedure and readily available reagents.