Different synthetic routes to 4-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)aniline

The benzimidazole nucleus is an important pharmacophore in drug discovery, being a good bioisostere of naturally occurring nucleotides. This heterocycle may represent a type of privileged substructure which can interact with proteins and enzymes; it has, hence, been extensively utilized as a drug scaffold in medicinal chemistry. The connection between wide ranging biological activity and compounds containing the benzimidazole nucleus is known, and well documented in the literature. Benzimidazole derivatives have a multitude of interesting pharmacological activity, including antiviral, antitumor, antihypertensive, proton pump inhibitory, anthelmintic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activity. Accordingly, a brief survey is given below covering the synthesis of 2-phenybenzimidazole derivatives and their biological importance.