Efficient Synthesis of 2-Imidazolines in the Presence of Molecular Iodine Under Ultrasound Irradiation

An efficient one-pot synthesis process for preparing 2-imidazolines from aldehydes and ethylenediamine using molecular iodine and potassium carbonate in absolute ethanol at 25–30°C under ultrasound irradiation is described. The synthetic strategy has the following advantages: mild conditions and low costs requirements, readily available catalyst, short reaction times, simplicity of operation, and good-to-excellent yields.