LAUSR

meta‐Cyanobenzyl‐substituted N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors were synthesized by the reaction of a series of N‐(alkyl)benzimidazolium with 3‐bromomethyl‐benzonitrile. These benzimidazolium salts were characterized by using 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FTIR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis techniques. The molecular and crystal structures of 2f and 2g complexes were obtained by using the single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction method. The derivatives of these novel NHC precursors were effective inhibitors of α‐glycosidase (AG), the cytosolic carbonic anhydrase I and II isoforms (hCA I and II), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) with Ki values in the range of 1.01–2.12 nM for AG, 189.56–402.44 nM for hCA I, 112.50–277.37 nM for hCA II, 95.45–352.58 nM for AChE, and 132.91–571.18 nM for BChE. In the last years, inhibition of the CA enzyme has been considered as a promising factor for pharmacologic intervention in a diversity of disturbances such as obesity, glaucoma, cancer, and epilepsy.