Abstract
An environmentally benign aqueous alkylation protocol for the regioselective synthesis of thioalkylated imidazoles using cationic, anionic and neutral surfactants has been achieved. The efficiency of the coupling reaction depends strongly on the nature and the concentration of the surfactant. The highest yield (up to 94%) was obtained in the presence of an anionic surfactant, while neutral or cationic surfactants gave poorer results with no change in regioselectivity.