Effects of hydrogen-bonding interactions of amide groups on reactivity of esters to alpha-chymotrypsin were studied. Of the methyl esters studied, only that from acetyl-L-phenylalanine has k3 rate-limiting. In methyl beta-phenylpropionates an alpha-acetamido substituent increased k2 greater than 550 times, k3 approximately 5 times; an alpha-acetylclycyloxy substituent increased k2 approximately 2 times, k3 approximately 6 times, both in comparison with the alpha-acetoxy esters. Essentially all carboxamidomethyl esters studied have k3 rate-limiting; reactivity to hydroxide is only 4 times that of methyl esters. In alpha-substituted beta-phenylpropionates, carboxamido-methyl esters show k2 values greater than 110 times greater than 280 times, greater than 26 times, and 7 times the k2 values of the methyl esters for the alpha substituents, acetoxy, acetylglycyloxy, hydroxy, and hydrogen, respectively. In esters of alpha-acetamido acids, carboxamidomethyl esters show k2 values 44 times, greater than 110 times, greater than 12 times, and approximately 33 times the k2 values of the methyl esters of glycine, alanine, leucine, and phenylalanine, respectively. Cyanomethyl esters also had k3 rate-limiting. Hydrogen-bonding to the enzyme of either an alpha-acetamido group or a carboxamidomethyl group combined with bonding of the beta-aryl group, orients the hydrolyzing groups properly, increasing k2. Hydrogen-bonding of both alpha-acetamido and carboxamido-methyl groups is effective to a lesser degree. The amide group appears to have small effects on Ks as hydrogen bonding is balanced by desolvation. It is proposed that desolvation during bonding increases k2 and Ks.