The alkaline hydrolysis of propham, chlorpropham, and swep to carbanilic acids was investigated for sodium hydroxide concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 4.0 N. The dependence of the observed pseudo-first-order rate constants on the hydroxide ion concentration was in agreement with the rate laws of the two reaction mechanisms-ElcB and Bh2-that can be involved in the hydrolysis of carbamates. The values of the ionization constants of propham (pKa = 15.0), chlorpropham (pKa = 14.45), and swep (pKa = 13.9) account for their behavior in aqueous media. The Hammett p value of 0.98 obtained for the hydrolysis of a series of isopropyl carbanilates, the activation entropy of swep and the changeover in reaction mechanism, from ElcB to BA,2, observed in the hydrolysis of alkyl and aryl 3,4-dichlorocarbanilates are decisive arguments supporting the involvement of a B&2 reaction scheme in the hydrolysis of propham, chlorpropham, and swep. The formation of phenyl isocyanate during the degradation of these herbicidal carbanilates can therefore be ruled out.