The topology of the binding site has been studied for two monoclonal antibodies 13G10 and 14H7, elicited against iron(III)-A,A,A,β-meso-tetrakis(ortho-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin {A,A,A,β-Fe [(o-COOHPh) 4 -porphyrin] and the peroxidase activity of both antibodies. Consequently, at least one of the carboxylates of the hapten is bound to an arginine residue and no amino acids such as lysine, histidine or tryptophan participate in the catalysis of the heterolytic cleavage of the O-O bond of H 2 O 2 . In addition, the amino acid sequence of both antibodies not only reveals the presence of arginine residues, which could be those involved in the binding of the carboxylates of the hapten, but also the presence of several amino acids in the complementary determining regions which could bind other carboxylates through a network of H bonds.