Sheep liver cytoplasmic aldehyde dehydrogenase was labelled by reaction with the substrate p-nitrophenyl di[14C]methylcarbamate. After tryptic digestion and peptide fractionation the labelled residue was identified as Cys-302. This is the first unequivocal identification of the essential enzymic nucleophile in the esterase activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase. By implication, Cys-302 is probably also the residue that is acylated by aldehyde substrates and the first residue that is modified by disulfiram.