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2'(3')-O-Bromoacetyluridine reacts rapidly and selectively with bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A at pH 5.5 and 25 degrees. Under conditions of high molar ratios of nucleoside derivative to enzyme, the only derivative is N-3-carboxymethylhistidine-12 ribonuclease A. The reaction occurs almost exclusively with the histidine-12 residue at the active site inactivation of the enzyme is accompanied by the stoichiometric disappearance of unmodified ribonuclease A and appearance of the product, N-3-carboxymethylhistidine-12 ribonuclease A. Kinetic studies indicate a mechanism involving saturation of the enzyme by the nucleoside derivative. The inhibitor constant, Kb, is 0.087 M and k3 is 35.1 times 10(-4) sec minus 1. The reaction of 2'(3')-O-bromoacetyluridine with the enzyme occurs at a rate approximately 3100 times greater than that corresponding to the reaction with L-histidine. The alkylation reaction is inhibited competitively by uridine with a Ki of 0.013 M. 2'(3')-O-Bromoacetyluridine inactivates ribonuclease A 4.5 times faster than bromoacetic acid and the specificity for alkylation of active-site histidine residues is different. 2'(3')-O-Bromoacetyluridine reacts 1000 times more rapidly with ribonuclease A than iodoacetamide. The contribution of nucleoside binding to the overall rate of alkylation is discussed.