**2.1 Synthesis of 4,5-dimethyl-1,2-diphenyl-1***H***-imidazole monohydrate (C17H16N2.H2O): DMDPIMH**

In 10 ml of ethanol, at a constant temperature of 333 K, 15 mmol of benzaldehyde, 15 mmol of pure butane-2,3-dione, 15 mmol of aniline, and 15 mmol of ammonium acetate were added over the course of an hour. The reaction mixture was refluxed for seven days before dichloromethane extraction was used to complete the process. Using column chromatography (CC), the solid is separated and purified as the eluent (hexane: ethyl acetate). The yield was 1.79 g or 48% (**Figure 1**). A suitable single crystal was used to collect the X-ray diffraction data [10].
