The trypanocide berenil was assessed for chemical stability over the pH range 1-8 at 37 degrees C and 0.2 M ionic strength. It was found to be sufficiently unstable under acid conditions that its therapeutic efficacy is most likely severely compromised when administered orally. At pH 3, the half-life was 35 min, decreasing to 1.5 min at pH 1.75. Reaction rate constants were corrected for the effects of buffer catalysis and were found to range from 2.00 min(-1) at pH 1 to 6.1 x 10(-6) min(-1) at pH 8. The pH-rate profile displayed a region (pH 1-4) where specific acid catalysis was dominant, followed by a transitional region (pH 5-7), and finally a region (pH >7) where uncatalysed degradation was most important. It is recommended that berenil be enteric coated for formulations to be used in treating Third World parasitic diseases.