Patent ID: 6844468

Claim:
A process for preparing substituted berizoyl chlorides of the formula (1) where R, x and y have the meaning given below, which comprises heating in the presence of a chlorinating agent and reacting a benzaldehyde of the formula (2) where R, independently of each other, is identical or different and is a phenyl radical that is substituted by halogen, NO 2 , CN, or as halogen, NO 2 , CN, NR′ 2 , OR′, SO 2 R′, SO 2 OR′, COR′ or CO 2 R′, where R′ is an unbranched or branched C 1 -C 10 alkyl radical, an unsubstituted phenyl radical or a phenyl radical which is substituted by halogen, NO 2 , CN, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl or (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, x is 1 or 2 and y is 1, 2 or 3, where if R is halogen, then all halogens are identical or if R is different, then only one R may be a halogen or all the R halogens are identical, and one or more R is selected from the group of: NO 2 , CN, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl or (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy; with said chlorinating agent in the presence of a free-radical initiator and a solvent, in the absence of an inert dilution gas, at a reaction temperature from −20 to ×200° C.