Reactions of cyanomethylbenzimidazoles. Part III. Reaction of cyanomethylbenzimidazoles with isocyanates and isothiocyanates.

In the reaction of 2-cyanomethylbenzmidazole and their 1- and 5-methyl derivatives with aromatic isocyanates and isothiocyanates, 23 N-arylamides resp. thioamides of benzimidazolyl-2-alpha-cyanoacetic acid were obtained. The structure of the newly compounds (Table 1) was confirmed by NMR and IR spectra. Some of these shown moderate tuberculostatic activity in vitro.