Patent ID: 7858807

Claim:
A process for preparing a 1-substituted 5-acyl-imidazole compound having the following formula (1): in which R 1 is a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl group; R 2 is a secondary alkyl group, a tertiary alkyl group or a cycloalkyl group, wherein each group is optionally substituted; and R 3 is an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl group, which comprises reacting an N-substituted amidine compound having the following formula (2): in which each of R 1 and R 2 is as defined above, or a salt thereof, with at least one ketone compound having the following formula (3a) or (3b): in which R 3 is as defined above, X is a leaving group, and each of Y and Z is independently a halogen atom, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, an alkylthio group, an arylthio group, a dialkylamino group or a diarylamino group, in the presence of a base.