1. Treatment of liver microsomal fraction with 0.03-0.12% sodium deoxycholate and 0.005-0.06mM carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone decreases phospholipiddependent hydrophobicity of the microsomal membrane, assayed by the kinetics of 8-anilinonaphthalene-l-sulphonate binding and ethyl isocyanide difference spectra. 2. Sodium deoxycholate at a concentration of 0.01 % lacks its detergent properties, but competitively inhibits aminopyrine binding and activates the initial rate of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. In the presence of 0.03-0.09% sodium deoxycholate the ratelimiting factor in p-hydroxylation of aniline is the content of cytochrome P450, and that for N-demethylation of aminopyrine is the activity of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. 3. Carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone has no effect on the binding and metabolism of aniline; investigation of its inhibiting effect on aminopyrine N-demethylase established that the rate-limiting reaction is the dissociation of the enzyme-substrate complex in the microsomal preparations. 4. In the mechanism of action of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone the key step may be the electrostatic interaction of its protonated form and one of the forms of activated oxygen at the catalytic centre of cytochrome P450. 5. At least two different phospholipid-dependent hydrophobic zones are assumed to exist in the microsomal membrane, both coupled with cytochrome PA450. One of them reveals selective sensitivity to the protonation action of carbonyl cyanide mchlorophenylhydrazone and contains the 'binding protein' for type I substrates and NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase; the other contains the cytochrome P450 haem group and binding sites for type II substrates.