New One‐Pot Procedure for the Synthesis of 2‐Substituted Benzimidazoles

A highly selective synthesis of 2‐substituted benzimidazole derivatives from the reaction of o‐phenylendiamine derivatives and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of an organic salt, NH4OAc, in absolute ethanol is presented. The products were obtained by evaporating the solvent followed by a simple recrystallization with excellent yields.