Facile synthesis of optically active imidazole derivatives.

Five optically active imidazole derivatives have been synthesized via a facile 4-step reaction sequence starting from commercially available and inexpensive N-Cbz amino acids. While microwave assisted condensation was unsuccessful, the condensation of the corresponding alpha-bromoketones with formamidine acetate in liquid ammonia was revealed to be a useful method for the synthesis of such imidazole derivatives. The derivatives thus prepared are structurally-related to histamine.