of the present invention may be advantageously carried out in the presence of an organic solvent which may be a pure solvent or a mixture of solvents typically it is preferred that the organic solvent comprise an organic nitrile solvent for example acetonitrile organic nitrile solvents are illustrated by acetonitrile propionitrile butyronitrile isopropylnitrile benzonitrile and mixtures thereof in some embodiments an organic nitrile solvent is used as a mixture with one or more solvents selected from the group consisting of aliphatic ethers aromatic ethers aliphatic alcohols aromatic alcohols ketones halogenated alkanes halogenated aromatics amides aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons typically the organic solvent is present in an amount corresponding to between about 0 01 and about 1 0 liters preferably between about 0 01 and about 0 5 liters and sill more preferably between about 0 1 and about 0 4 liters of organic solvent per mole of hydroxyaromatic compound employed when the source of hydrogen bromide is concentrated hydrobromic acid i e a mixture of hydrogen bromide and water comprising about 48 percent by weight hbr and about 52 percent by weight water it has been found beneficial in some instances to add additional water to the reaction mixture thus when concentrated hydrobromic acid is employed water is added to the reaction mixture in an amount corresponding to about 0 4 moles to about 5 moles preferably from about 1 mole to about 5 moles and still more preferably from about 1 mole to about 3 moles of water per mole of hydroxyaromatic compound in one embodiment phenol is reacted under the conditions of the present invention to provide a mixture of 4 bromophenol with 1 4 benzoquinone this embodiment of the present invention is practiced by contacting in a reaction mixture.