Selective amine de-alkylation enables the conversion of Sommelet-Hauser rearrangement products into 2-aryl-2-bromoacetic acid derivatives. These compounds are valuable synthetic intermediates in the synthesis of 伪-aryl-伪-amino or 伪-aryl-尾-amino acid derivatives. The method presented herein is a formal de-N,N-dialkylation of Sommelet-Hauser rearrangement products.