An eco-friendly, one pot synthesis of tri-substituted imidazoles in aqueous medium catalyzed by RGO supported Au nano-catalyst and computational studies

Abstract An eco-compatible, mild and operationally simple aqueous phase protocol for the synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazoles has been achieved with high substrate scope using supported Au nanoparticles. The catalyst can be recovered for the subsequent reactions and reused without any appreciable loss. The utility of this protocol was further explored to synthesis of fused and structurally versatile imidazole also. The synthetic attributes of imidazoles were also demonstrated through the Computational studies. Furthermore, low E-factor and Process mass intensity make the present method more sustainable as compared to earlier literature reports.