Q. Xiao, W. Wang, G. Liu, F. K. Meng, J. H. Chen*, Z. Yang*, Z. J. Shi*
Chem. Eur. J. 2009, 15,7292.
A new and straightforward method to construct 1H-benzo[d]imidazole was developed by means of PdII-catalyzed intramolecular CH activation starting from easily available N-phenylbenzimidamide (see scheme). The detailed mechanism studies indicated that a palladacycle monomer or dimer is the key intermediate for this transformation and thiourea was used for the first time to promote the efficiency of CH activation.