Copper-catalyzed synthesis of polysubstituted benzimidazoles: an efficient one-pot synthetic approach to <i>N</i>-enylated benzimidazoles

We report the simple synthesis of 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazoles using three versatile building blocks: benzaldehydes, <i>o</i>-phenylenediamines, and phenylpropiolic acid. The protocol facilitates the formation of three C-N bonds and one Csp-Csp bond in a one-pot reaction and yields novel products that have not been previously synthesized.