Aerobic photooxidative synthesis of benzimidazoles from aromatic aldehydes and diamines using catalytic amounts of magnesium iodide

This Letter proposes a safe, mild, and environmentally benign method for the synthesis of benzimidazoles from aromatic aldehydes and diamines by aerobic photooxidation using irradiation with visible light, a catalytic amount of magnesium iodide, which serves as both a Lewis acid and an oxidant, and molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant.