Imidazolate salts are powerful and versatile starting materials that can be used to generate many useful compounds. To this end, a method for producing sodium imidazolate (NaIm) from only commodity starting materials has been developed. NaIm was directly produced at a scale of similar to 400 g via the neutralization of molten imidazole by NaOH, followed by dehydration. The Nairn product was then utilized as a starting material to produce 20 different N-functionalized imidazole and bis(imidazole) compounds, with the application of a common procedure involving minimal solvent volumes and straightforward purification via flash chromatography and solvent evaporation. Generating N-functionalized imidazoles "on demand" from NaIm and alkyl halides (or similar compounds) can eliminate the need for hazardous starting materials such as NaH and anhydrous solvents that have typically been employed in their synthesis. This method may ultimately enhance the availability of N-functionalized imidazoles for a variety of research and commercial applications.