Benzimidazole and its derivatives are considered as a significant class of heterocycle compounds because of their abundance in naturally occurring molecules and broad medicinal applications.^[1] They possess special activities such as anticancer, antiglycation, antiprotozoal, anti-inflammatory, anti-urease, anti-HIV, anti-fungals, anti-bacterial, proton pump inhibitors, anti-viral, anti-oxidant, anti-viral and analgesic.^[2],[3],[4]

In the last decade, several methods have been proposed for synthesis of highly substituted benzimidazole derivatives. However, majority of the reported procedures for the synthesis of benzimidazoles have some limitations in terms of the use of excess amounts of catalysts, formation of byproducts and unsatisfactory yields, lengthy reaction times, difficult work-up and significant amounts of waste materials.^[5] Therefore, development of new methodologies and introducing recoverable catalysts to overcome aforementioned disadvantages is still desirable.

In continuation of our ongoing efforts to develop efficient catalysts for different MCRs,^[6] we report herein the catalytic application of 1,3,5-Tris (2-hydroxyethyl) isocyanurate-Cu(II) functionalized magnetic graphene (MGO-THEIC-CuII) as a new, highly efficient and recoverable catalyst, for the synthesis of benzimidazoles derivatives under microwave irradiation.^[7]

[1] Hanoon, H.D.; Kowsari, E.; Abdouss, M. et al. Res Chem Intermed 2017, 43: 1751.

[2] Narasimhan, B.; Sharma, D.; Kumar, P. Medicinal Chemistry Research 2012, 21:269–283.

[3] Swami, M.B.; Jadhav, A.H.; Mathpati, S.R. et al. Res Chem Intermed 2017, 43: 2033.

[4] Bui, H. T. B.; Ha, Q. T. K.; Oh, W. K. et al. Tetrahedron letters 2016, 57(8), 887-891.

[5] Dekamin, M. G.; Arefi, E.; Yaghoubi, A. RSC Advances 2016, 6(90), 86982-86988.

[6] Dekamin, M. G.; Eslami, M. Green Chemistry 2014, 16, 4914.

[7] Dekamin, M. G.; Mehdipoor, F.; Yaghoubi, A. New Journal of Chemistry 2017, 00, 1‐10.