Syntheses with Cyanogen—A Simple Route to 4,5-Dichloroimidazoles^†

4,5-Dichlorinated imidazoles (1) having an unsubstituted N atom were not previously accessible by a general synthesis. It has now proved possible to produce numerous derivatives (1) in useful yields by synthesis from aldehydes, cyanogen, and hydrogen chloride, thus permitting a study of their reactions.