PREPARATION OF N-(HALOMETHYL)-ACYLAMIDES

N(halomethyl)acylamdes of the formula XCH2 CO-@ -CH2R are prepared by reacting the corresponding N(alkoxymethyl) acylamides of the formula XCH2 CO-@ -CH2OR with thionyl chloride or thionyl bromide in the presence of a Lewis Acid catalyst, where in the above formulae X is hydrogen, halogen, a C1-6 alkyl or haloalkyl radical, a C3-7 cycloalkyl radical, a phenyl or benzyl radical or any of said radicals substituted with halogen, NO2, CF3, C1-6 alkyl or alkoxy, phenyl or benzyl; R is a C1-20 alkyl radical, an acyclic 1-alken-1-yl radical having up to 10 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl or 1-cycloalken-1-yl radical having up to 7 carbon atoms, a phenyl radical or said cycloalkyl, 1-cyclo-alken-1-yl or phenyl radicals substituted with one or more C1-6 alkyl, alkoxy or alkoxyalkyl, C2-4 alkenyl or C3-4 alkenyloxy, NO2 or trifiuoromethyl radicals or halogen; R is a hydrocarbyl radical having up to 10 carbon atoms or such radical substituted with halogen or C1-8 alkoxy or alkoxyalkyl groups and R is a chloro or bromo atom.