as ammonia gas methanolic ammonia preferably ammonium hydroxide or any other suitable solution of ammonia the reaction may be carried out at atmospheric pressure the step ii product may be hydrolysed to the compound of formula i by treatment with a solution of base such as sodium potassium or calcium hydroxide or preferably lithium hydroxide in a water based solvent system with a suitable co solvent such as methanol of other alcohol or water miscible ether the compound of formula i can be isolated from the reaction solvent by adjustment of the reaction solution ph with a suitable acid source such as sulphuric or preferable hydrochloric acid suitable chlorinating agents may be oxalyl chloride thionyl chloride or phosphoryl chloride advantageously an aqueous ammonia such as ammonium hydroxide or non aqueous ammonia source such as nh 3 gas or methanolic ammonia may be used advantages of the processes of the present invention may include the simultaneous in situ protection and activation followed by immediate conversion to sulphonamide in the processes of the present invention the activating agent may also be the protecting agent the following scheme scheme a represents the process according to a feature of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention but is provided for illustration only r 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy halogen u2014 cf 3 u2014 no 2 and.