Construction 7-membered ring via Ni–Al bimetal-enabled C–H cyclization for synthesis of tricyclic imidazoles

The construction of 7-membered ring via direct C7–H cyclization of benzoimidazoles with alkenes would provide a more atom- and step-economical route to tricyclic imidazoles and derivatives that widely exist in a broad range of bioactive molecules. However, transition metal-catalyzed C–H cyclization for medium-ring synthesis has been limited to reactive C–H bonds, instead, the activation of unreactive C–H bonds towards medium synthesis still remains an elusive challenge. Herein, we report a direct construction of 7-membered rings via Ni–Al co-catalyzed unreactive C7–H cyclization of benzoimidazoles with alkenes, providing a series of tricyclic imidazoles in 40–98% yield and with up to 95:5 er.