Kinetic studies of the reactions of a-bromoacetanilides [YC6H4NHC(=O)CH2Br] with substituted benzylamines (XC6H4CH2NH2) have been carried out in dimethyl sulfoxide at 35.0 oC. The Hammett plots for substituent (Y) variations in the substrate (log kN vs. sY) are biphasic concave upwards/downwards with breaks at Y = 4-Cl (sY = 0.23). The Hammett coefficients rY and the cross-interaction constant rXY (= +0.16) are positive for sY 0.23, while the rY values are positive/negative [rY > 0 for X = (4-MeO and 4-Me) and rY < 0 for X = (H, 4-Cl and 3-Cl)] and the rXY (= -1.51) value is negative for sY ³ 0.23. Based on these and other results, the benzylaminolyses of a-bromoacetanilides are proposed to proceed through rate-limiting expulsion of the bromide leaving group from a zwitterionic tetrahedral intermediate, T, with a bridged transition state for s Y 0.23, while the reaction proceeds through concerted mechanism with an enolate-like TS in which the nucleophile attacks the a-carbon for s Y ³ 0.23.