Carboxyl group modification with DCCD and NCD-4 was employed to investigate the chemical environment of the side chains of archaeopsin-1 (aO-1) and bacterioopsin (bO). Some differences were observed between aO-1 and bO. Although DCCD or NCD-4 did not modify aO-1 in bleached membrane, they modified bO in bleached membrane and in mixed DMPC/CHAPS/SDS micelles at neutral pH, thereby affecting the opsin shift and the photocycle of the regenerated chromophore. On the contrary, after solubilization with SDS, aO-1 and bO were modified by DCCD and NCD-4, which decreased the chromophore regeneration. In particular, the reaction of aO-1 in SDS with NCD-4 proceeded in a 1:1 ratio at neutral pH. The fluorescence and CD spectra indicated that the modified site was located in the hydrophobic, asymmetrical region. Lysyl-endopeptidase digestion of NCD-4 modified aO-1 produced a fluorescent fragment and amino acid sequence analysis showed that Asp85 or Asp96 in helix C is a probable candidate for the modified residue at present. Kinetic CD measurements revealed that the introduction of N-acylurea at an Asp residue in helix C did not affect the formation of the transient intermediate but inhibited the side chain packing during refolding.