The effects of cyanide and azide ions (class A), sodium-n-dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and 2-mercaptoethanol (class B), 3-aminotriazole (class C) and NADPH (class D) on the initial activity (ai), inactivation rate constant (ki) and the partition ratio (r) of bovine liver catalase reaction with its suicide substrate, hydrogen peroxide, were studied in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0 at 27 degrees C. The above kinetic parameters were determined by processing the progress curve data. In class A, which contains fast and reversible inhibitors of catalase, a proportional decrease in ai and ki was observed by inhibitors, so that the r remained constant. In class B, which contains slow and irreversible inactivators, a decrease in ai and constancy of ki and r were observed when catalase was incubated in the presence of such inactivators for a determined time. In class C, containing effector which can combine with intermediate compound I, ai was relatively unchanged but an increase in ki and a decrease in r were observed. In class D, containing effector which reduces compound I to ferricatalase, ai was not affected significantly but some decrease in ki was detected which was linked with an increase in r. These results demonstrate that different classes of effectors affect the determined kinetic parameters of catalase in various ways. Thus, determination of such parameters by simple kinetic experiments can be carried out for classification of the agents which have an effect on the kinetics of catalase.