Trifluoroacetic Acid as an Efficient Catalyst for the Room Temperature Synthesis of 2-Aryl-1-arylmethyl-1H-1,3-benzimidazoles in Aqueous Media

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is introduced as a commercially available, inexpensive and effective catalyst for the selective and eco‐compatible synthesis of 2‐aryl‐1‐arylmethyl‐1 H ‐1,3‐benzimidazoles via condensation reaction of o ‐phenylenediamine derivatives and aromatic aldehydes in ethanol/water at room temperature.