1-PHENETAYLIMIDAZOLE DERIVATIVES

Compounds useful as antifungal and antibacterial agents are provided, and are of the formula:- including the antimicrobial acid addition salts thereof, wherein; X and Y are independently sulfur or oxygen; m is zero or 1; n is 1, 2 or 3, with the proviso that when n=1, X and Y cannot both be oxygen; R and R are independently hydrogen, halogen or alkyl or, taken together the atoms necessary to complete a naphthalene ring; R is CF3, SCF3, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, alkylthio, pyrrolidinyl, piperidinyl, piperazinyl, alkanoylpiperazinyl, morpholinyl, alkylamino, dialkylamino, alkanoylamino, amino, nitro, carboxy, halogen, carboalkoxy or an aryl radical selected from the group consisting of phenyl, benzyl, benzoyl, phenylthio, phenylsulfonyl, phenylamino and benzoylamino, said aryl radical being optionally nuclearly substituted by one or more halogen, CF3, alkyl or alkoxy radicals; and R , R and R are independently hydrogen, halogen, CF3, alkyl, alkoxy or phenyl optionally nuclearly substituted by one or more halogen, CF3, alkyl or alkoxy radicals; and wherein with reference to the above, alkyl, alkoxy and alkanoyl radicals contain 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkenyl and alkynyl radicals contain 2 to 12 carbon atoms, and cycloalkyl radicals contain 5 to 8 carbon atoms. The preparation of the parent alcohols and corresponding esters and salts is described.