Steady state kinetics of the hydrolysis by trypsin and chymotrypsin of the ethyl esters of the N-acetyl derivatives of glycine, L-alanine, DL-2-aminobutyric acid, L-norvaline, L-valine, L-norleucine and L-leucine were studied at pH 6.6 and 25 degrees C. It is apparent from the second-order rate constants, kcat/Km, app, that there is a significant difference between the specificities of the two enzymes toward substrates with a long side chain, such as the derivatives of norvaline, norleucine and leucine. The carboxylate ion Asp-189 in the specificity pocket of trypsin seems to interfere with the productive binding of substrates containing apolar side chains longer than those of the derivatives of DL-2-aminobutyric acid or L-valine. The basic group of the specific substrates of trypsin, such as that of lysine and arginine derivatives, promotes the binding of the apolar side chain by neutralizing the negative carboxylate ion of Asp-189.