1,3-Substituted-1,4-dihydropyridines easily add water to the 5,6-double bond in acid catalysis resulting in 6-hydroxy-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyriidines. The influence of various substituents in position C-5 and C-6 over the hydration of 1 -methyl-l,4-dihydromethylnicotinate, used as a model compound, was investigated in the framework of the AM 1 molecular orbital approximation. Since the rate-limiting step of the reaction is a proton transfer from the acidic species to the C-5 position of the substrate, calculated proton affinities (PA) were used as reactivity indexes. The results, in agreement with experimental evidences, indicated that electron-donating ( + I ) substituents increase the PA and destabilize I ,4-dihydropyridines towards hydration, while electron-withdrawing (-I) groups have the opposite effect. Calculated vertical ionization potentials (Ip) indicate that similarly + I groups facilitate the one-electron oxidation, while -I groups stabilize the molecules toward this reaction. Several molecular properties derived from the principle of maximum hardness were also used for the investigation of the stability of the dihydropyridines.