Progress in Photocatalytic Synthesis of Benzimidazoles

Abstract Benzimidazoles (BIs) have good and extensive biological activities in the bactericidal, anti‐inflammatory, anticancer, and antiviral fields. In addition, BIs can also be used as curing agents, metal surface treatment agents, catalysts and intermediates in organic synthesis. The preparation of BIs is an important subject of synthetic chemistry. Photocatalytic process provides a new route for the green synthesis of BIs. In this minireview, a systematic summary of the photocatalytic preparation of BIs, and the influence of reaction conditions, such as photocatalyst, solvent, atmosphere, substrates, and substituent groups, on the formation of BIs were made. The probable reaction mechanisms were introduced as well. We believe that this work will provide an inspiration and reference for the development of new photocatalysts for the synthesis of BIs and promote the application of photocatalytic technique for organic transformation.