A Sandmeyer type reaction for bromination of 2-mercapto-1-methyl-imidazoline (N2C4H6S) into 2-bromo-1-methyl-imidazole (N2C4H5Br) in presence of copper(I) bromide.

2-Mercapto-1-methyl-imidazoline (N(2)C(4)H(6)S) is converted at room temperature into 2-bromo-1-methyl-imidazole (N(2)C(4)H(5)Br) in presence of copper(I) bromide in acetonitrile-chloroform mixture via extrusion of sulfur as sulfate and oxidation of Cu(I) into Cu(II). 2-Bromo-1-methyl-imidazole was isolated as its self assembled tetranuclear Cu(II) cluster, [Cu(4)(η(1)-N-(N(2)C(4)H(5)Br)(4)(μ(4)-O)(μ-Br)(6)] 1 {η(1)-N-(N(2)C(4)H(5)Br) = 2-bromo-1-methyl-imidazole}. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011