A condition-based skeletal divergent synthesis was explored to achieve skeletal diversity in two component condensation reaction. Cyanomethyl benzimidazole was reacted with α-bromoketone under thermal conditions to furnish 2-aminofuranyl-benzimidazoles, while the same reaction afforded 3-cyano-benzopyrrolo-imidazoles under microwave irradiation. Two nonequivalent nucleophilic centers on benzimidazole moiety were manipulated elegantly by different reaction conditions to achieve the skeletal diversity.
Keywords: 2-aminofuranyl-benzimidazole; 3-cyano-benzopyrrolo-imidazole; divergent synthesis; nonequivalent nucleophilicity; skeletal diversity.