A new mechanism-based inactivator of beta-1,4-xylanases, 2',4'-dinitrophenyl 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-beta-xylobioside, has been synthesized and used to trap the covalent intermediate formed during catalysis by Bacillus subtilis xylanase. Electrospray mass spectrometry confirmed the 1:1 stoichiometry of the incorporation of inactivator into the enzyme. Inactivation of xylanase followed the expected pseudo-first-order kinetic behavior, and kinetic parameters were determined. The intermediate trapped was relatively stable toward hydrolytic turnover (t1/2 = 350 min). However, turnover could be facilitated by transglycosylation following the addition of the acceptor benzyl thio-beta-xylobioside, thus demonstrating the catalytic competence of the trapped intermediate. Reactivation kinetic parameters for this process of kre = 0.03 min-1 and Kre = 46 mM were determined. The nucleophilic amino acid was identified as Glu78 by a tandem mass spectrometric technique which does not require the use of radiolabels. The peptic digest of the labeled enzyme was separated by high-performance liquid chromatography and the eluent fed into a tandem mass spectrometer via an electrospray ionization device. The labeled peptide was identified as one of m/z = 826 (doubly charged) which fragmented in the collision chamber between the mass analyzers with loss of the mass of a 2-fluoroxylobiosyl unit. Confirmation of the peptide identity was obtained both by tandem mass spectrometric sequencing and by Edman degradation of the purified peptide. Glu78 is completely conserved in all members of this xylanase family and indeed is shown to be located in the active site in the recently determined X-ray crystal structure.