4-[1-(4-Cyanobenzyl)-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl]benzonitrile

In the title compound, C22H14N4, a new substituted benzimidazole, three intermolecular C—H⋯N interactions link neighbouring molecules into different dimers with R 2 2(12), R 2 2(8) and R 2 2(24) ring motifs. A fourth C—H⋯N interaction links neighbouring molecules along the c axis. There is also a short intermolecular contact between the azomethine (C=N) segment of the benzimidazole ring and one of the C atoms of a neighbouring benzene ring [N⋯C = 3.191 (5), C⋯C = 3.364 (6) Å], which links the molecules along the a axis. The two cyanobenzene rings are almost perpendicular to each other, with an interplanar angle of 87.70 (7)°. The dihedral angles between the mean planes of the benzimidazole ring and the two outer benzene rings are 36.27 (16) and 86.70 (16)°. In the crystal structure, molecules are stacked down the a axis with centroid–centroid distances of 3.906 (2)–3.912 (2) Å and interplanar distances of 3.5040 (17) and 3.6235 (17) Å.