metal-free oxidative deamination–cross-coupling of imidazoheterocycles with 2-aminobenzothiazoles in the presence of tert-butyl nitrite is reported for the first time. This simple protocol tolerates a wide range of functional groups to afford various benzothiazole–imidazoheterocycles in moderate to excellent yields, with the release of nitrogen and water as benign byproducts. A metal-free oxidative deam