of halo lower alkyl and trifluoromethyl x and y are independently oxygen or sulfur with the proviso that y is not oxygen when r 2 is phenyl or substituted phenyl and the antimicrobial acid addition salts thereof are useful as antifungal antibacterial and antiprotozoal agents application_number US 66480076 A description the present invention in a still further aspect is directed to methods for the preparation of the subject compounds of formula i the following reaction sequence directed to the preparation of compounds of formulas ia and ib can be illustrated as follows str9 wherein r 1 is as previously defined r 2 is limited to alkyl str10 in which n is 0 to 3 benzyl or substituted benzyl z is oxygen or sulfur and x 39 is a conventional leaving group such as a halide e g bromide or chloride or a sulfonate ester e g methanesulfonate or p toluenesulfonate in the above sequence the imidazole derivatives of formulas ia and ib are prepared by converting a hydroxy compound of formula 1 to its metal salt by treatment with a strong base such as sodium hydride and the like and thereafter contacting the resulting metal salt with a compound of formula 2 preparation of the metal salt is effected in an organic solvent such as hexamethylphosphoramide tetrahydrofuran dimethylformamide and the like at a temperature of 0 u00b0 to 65 u00b0 c for a period of 30 minutes to 4 hours thereafter reaction of the metal salt with a compound of formula 2 is carried out preferably in the same solvent at a temperature of 0 u00b0 to 65 u00b0 c for a period of.