The kinetics and mechanism of an aquachlororuthenium(III) complex catalyzed oxidation of malonic and methylmalonic acids by bromate in aqueous acetic acid medium containing perchloric acid and mercury(II) is reported here. The reaction shows an induction period (s 0 ), whose duration is inversely proportional to [substrate] 0 and [catalyst] 0 , and temperature; however, independent of [bromate] 0 . After induction, the reaction exhibits first order each in [bromate] and [catalyst], less than unit order in [substrate] and an inverse fractional order in [HClO 4 ]. The reaction also shows an inverse solvent isotope effect ( k D 2 O =k H 2 O ¼ 0:72 AE 0:05:) The observed rate law is interpreted by a mechanism involving the oxidation of Ru III to Ru V by Br V (K f ), followed by complex formation (K c ) between the Ru V and enol form (K en ) of the substrate in 1:1 ratio, which decomposes (kd) into products in the ratedetermining step with regeneration of Ru III . The observed induction period is interpreted as the time-lag in buildingup of the reactive intermediate(s). The reaction constants (K f , K c , K en and kd) involved in the mechanism proposed have been evaluated and s 0 has been correlated in terms of initial concentrations of substrate and catalyst as::