The hydrolysis of phenylureas has been found to be affected by temperature, pH and buffer concentration. Kinetic evidence suggests that the formation of phenylisocyanate, the initial product in the title reaction, occurs via an intermediate zwitterion. Depending on pH and buffer concentrations, the zwitterion can be produced through three parallel routes: at low pH, specific acid–general base catalysis, followed by slow deprotonation of a nitrogen ...
