Novel synthon for incorporating 1,3-dimethyl-imidazolium group into molecular architecture

The synthesized 1,3-dimethylated imidazolium-carbaldehydes serves as synthons for incorporating a permanently cationic imidazolium group into molecular framework. The utility of new synthon was demonstrated in a variety of reactions: Knoevenagel, Wittig, Schiff base formation, based-mediated electrophilic substitution, and oxidation, including synthesis of the natural product norzooanemonin.