Efficient synthesis of 2-imidazol-2-ylacetates

A simple method of synthesizing various 2-imidazol-2-ylacetates is described. Condensation of α-aminoketals with imidates, followed by cyclization in refluxing 4 M-HCl/Dioxane, yielded 2-imidazol-2-ylacetates under one-pot and mild reaction conditions.