One‐pot Synthesis of 2<i>H</i>‐imidazoles from 1,2‐Diketones, Ketones, and Ammonium Acetate

Abstract Herein, we report a multicomponent reaction for the efficient synthesis of polysubstituted 2 H ‐imidazoles from readily available 1,2‐diketones, ketones, and ammonium acetate under transition‐metal‐free conditions. Both nitrogen atoms in the resulting 2 H ‐imidazole products are derived from the cost‐effective inorganic ammonium acetate. This protocol achieves the cleavage of three C−O bonds and the formation of four C−N bonds in a single operation. The advantages of this protocol include low cost, broad substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, and high atom‐ and step‐economy.