In vivo experiments were conducted with ronidazole radiolabelled in the 2-14CH2-, 4,5-14C-, N-14CH3- and 4-3H-positions. The hepatic protein-bound residues, assessed by the radioactivity of exhaustively washed protein samples, were independent of the radiolabel position and occurred with 4-3H loss (greater than 80%) in excellent agreement to previous results obtained in vitro with anaerobic incubations of liver microsomes (Miwa et al., Chem. Biol. Interact., 41 (1982) 297). HPLC analysis of acid hydrolyzed in vivo protein-bound residues, obtained from [2-14CH2] ronidazole, produced a radiochromatographic profile which was virtually identical to that obtained from a similarly treated in vitro sample. Moreover, almost quantitative (76-96%) liberation of radiolabelled methylamine was obtained from hydrolysates of in vivo and in vitro residue samples formed from [N-14CH3] ronidazole. With 4,5-ring labeled ronidazole the distribution of total radioactivity of the protein hydrolysate on cation exchange resin and the fraction of the residue recovered as oxalic acid were nearly identical for the in vivo and in vitro products. We interpret these data to indicate that ronidazole alkylates proteins with retention of most of the carbon framework of the molecule, in vivo. It is also concluded that the in vitro model, previously used to examine the mechanism of protein alkylation, accurately reflects the salient process initially occurring in the intact animal during the formation of protein-bound residues of this drug.