This invention discloses a process for the synthesis of stable aryl nitrile oxides which comprises the sequential steps of (1) halomethylating a halomethyl group onto a substituted aromatic compounds wherein said halomethyl group is halomethylated onto a position that is ortho to at least one of the substituent groups on the substituted aromatic compound; (2) converting the ortho halomethylated-substituted aromatic compound into an ortho-substituted aromatic aldehyde by reacting the ortho halomethylated-substituted aromatic compound with a salt selected from the group consisting of sodium 2-nitropropane and potassium 2-nitropropane in a lower alcohol solvent; (3) converting the ortho-substituted aromatic aldehyde into an ortho-substituted aromatic; and (4) converting the ortho-substituted aromatic oxime into the ortho-substituted aryl nitrile oxide by reacting the ortho-substituted aromatic oxime with an aqueous sodium hypochlorite solution.