Biphenyl hydroxamic acids

A compound having the structure ##STR22## including all stereoisomers therof, wherein m is 1 to 7;

• X is S, O or NH;
• R is H, lower alkyl, aryl, aralkyl;
• R.sup.1 is H, lower alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, cycloalkyl, alkanoyl or aroyl;
• and wherein the ##STR23## groups and aryl by itself or as part of another group is unsubstituted or substituted with 1 or 2 lower alkyl groups, 1 or 2 halogen groups, 1 or 2 lower alkoxy groups, hydroxyamino, alkylamino, dialkylamino or carboxy;
• and (CH.sub.2)m is unsubstituted or includess 1 or 2 lower alkyl substituents;
• lower alkyl or alkyl as employed herein by itself or as part of another group includes both straight and branched chain radicals of up to 12 carbons, and is unsubstituted or substituted with a halo-substituent, CF.sub.3, an alkoxy substituent, an aryl substituent, an alkyl-aryl substituent, a haloaryl substituent, a cycloalkyl substituent or an alkylcycloalkyl substituent;
• cycloalkyl by itself or as part of another group includes saturated cyclic hydrocarbon groups containing 3 to 8 carbons, and is unsubstituted or is substituted with 1 or 2 halogens, 1 or 2 lower alkyl groups and/or 1 or 2 lower alkoxy groups;
• aralykyl refers to a lower alkyl group having an aryl substituent;
• alkanoyl refers to a lower alkyl group linked to a carbonyl group and aroyl refers to an aryl group linked to a carbonyl group.