substituents selected from halo nitro and c 1 c 4 alkyl or trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride preferably methanesulfonyl chloride at a temperature ranging from about 0 u00b0 c to room temperature 20 25 u00b0 c for a period of about ten minutes to about five hours typically thirty minutes to provide the compound of formula v in step 2 of scheme 1 the compound of formula v is reacted with a hydrazine derivative of formula vi and an acid preferably ammonium acetate in a solvent preferably a solvent having a high boiling point such as xylenes toluene or mesitylene or a mixture of two or more of the foregoing solvents preferably xylenes to provide the compound of formula xi in general the compound of formula xi need not be separated or isolated from the reaction mixture in step 3 of scheme 1 the reaction mixture containing the compound of formula xi is heated at a temperature between about 100 u00b0 c and about 200 u00b0 c preferably between about 100 u00b0 c and about 140 u00b0 c for a period of about ten hours to about five days preferably two days to provide the compound of formula iii alternatively the process of step 2 of scheme 1 may be accomplished using a salt of the hydrazine derivative of formula vi such as the hydrochloride hydrobromide mesylate tosylate or.