a mineral acid especially hcl or an aqueous mixture of a peroxysulfate salt with hcl or hbr in any of these preferred embodiments hcl or hbr may be used in the form of an hcl or hbr salt of n n dimethylformamide the halogenating agent is advantageously used in at least a stoichiometric amount and preferably in slight excess based on the aromatic aldehyde oxime the halogenation reaction may be conducted in the presence of a solvent or diluent the solvents which are useful for the reaction between the aromatic aldehyde and the hydroxylamine are generally useful in this step as well a suitable temperature for the halogenation step is from about u2212 30 u00b0 to about 100 u00b0 c preferably from about u2212 10 u00b0 to about 40 u00b0 c the resulting aromatic hydroxamoyl halide is then reacted with an aromatic amine compound having a primary amine group ortho to a hydroxyl group a thiol group or another primary amino group in this manner an oxazole thiazol or imidazole is formed in which an aromatic ring structure corresponding to that of the aromatic hydroxamoyl halide is bonded to the 2 position the oxazole thiazole or imidazole group is formed when the aromatic amine compound contains a hydroxyl thiol or another primary.