A simple, high-yielding synthesis of 2, 4, 5-trisubstituted imidazoles from 1, 2-diketones and aldehydes in the presence of NH4OAc is described. Under microwave irradiation, alkyl-, aryl- , and heteroaryl-substituted imidazoles are formed in yields ranging from 80 to 99%. Short syntheses of lepidiline B and trifenagrel illustrate the utility of this approach.
