[Development and application of practical synthetic methods of imidazolines].

This review describes the first method to prepare imidazolines from aldehydes and 1,2-diamines by condensation and successive oxidation using NBS in one-pot operation. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions and can be applied to various aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes and 1,2-diamines. The utility of this method is also demonstrated in the total synthesis of spongotine A and the preparation of a newly designed organocatalyst, C3-symmetric trisimidazoline 7.