AbstractKinetic study on the cleavage of N‐phenylphthalimide (NPhPT) in the presence of 0.05 M NH2NH2 and mixed H2O‐CH3CN solvents reveals the occurrence of reaction scheme equation image where A, B, C, C1, An, E, and F represent NPhPT, o‐CO−2C6H4CONHC6H5, o‐CONHNH2C6H4‐ CONHC6H5, N‐aminophthalimide, aniline, o‐CO−2C6H4CONHNH2, and o‐CONHNH2C6H4‐CONHNH2, respectively. But, in the presence of either nonbuffered ⩾0.20 M NH2NH2 hydrazine buffer of pH ∼7.30–8.26 with total buffer concentration ([Buf]T) of >0.02 M, further conversion of F to 2,3‐dihydrophthalazine‐1,4‐dione (DHPD) has been detected depending upon the length of the reaction time (t), the values of [Buf]T, and pH. It has been shown that the rate of conversion of C1 to F is much faster than that of C to C1 which is much faster than that of F to DHPD. The reaction step A → C involves general base (GB) catalysis, while step C → C1 seems to involve specific base–general acid (GA) and GB‐GB catalysis. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 37: 147–161, 2005