AbstractA general one‐step reduction ring closure ofo‐nitroacetanalides is applied to the synthesis of 5(6)‐acetylbenzimidazole and 5(6)‐acetyl‐2‐methylbenzimidazole in good yield. The former is readily converted to the vinyl monomer by reduction and dehydration. Polymerization of this monomer with free‐radical initiation under a variety of conditions gives polymers with essentially identical nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, implying no basic change in poly