The N-benzoyl urea moiety is an important functional group in the fields of both medicinal chemistry 1 and agrochemicals. 2 Moreover, a number of N-benzoyl ureas show promising anti-tumour properties 3 and some have found commercial use in agriculture as insecticides. 4 As part of an ongoing research programme, we sought a mild and efficient route to this class of acyl ureas. ... N-Acyl ureas are classically prepared by reaction of N-acylisocyanates with ...