N-Bromo succinimide (NBS) was found to be an efficient and regioselective reagent in combination with AIBN for an unprecedented, facile and rapid one-step synthesis of 8- substituted xanthine derivatives at room temperature. The inexpensive, nontoxic and readily available NBS efficiently promoted the condensation of several aryl/cycloaryl/heteroaryl aldehydes with 5, 6-diamino-1, 3-dimethyluracils in presence of catalytic amount of AIBN ...