Aliphatic alcohols that form host-guest complexes with "hydroxypropyl-P-cyclodextrin" retard the cleavage of tnnitrophenyl acetate by hydroxypropyl-P-cyclodextrin in basic aqueous solution, due to competitive inhibition. By contrast, these same species do not inhibit the reaction of p-nitrophenyl acetate and p-nitrophenyl hexanoate to the same extent and, in some cases, the addition of alcohols serves to increase the rate of reaction. The observed reaction kinetics require the presence of a process that has one molecule of the "potential inhibitor" in the transition state for ester cleavage. Rate constants, k,, for the reaction of the (ester.hydroxypropy1-P-cyclodextrin) complexes with a series of potential inhibitors show a strong dependence on the ability of the potential inhibitor to bind to the cyclodextrin. On the other hand, rate constants for the kinetically equivalent reaction of the ester with the (cyclodextrin.potential inhibitor) complex show little dependence on the alcohol structure and they vary over a very limited range. The negative logarithms of the apparent dissociation constant of the potential inhibitor from the transition state show a strong dependence on the ability of the potential inhibitor to bind to hydroxypropyl-0-cyclodextrin, indicating that the binding of the potential inhibitor in the initial state and the transition state is similar. It is concluded that the cleavage of p-nitropheny I acetate and p-nitrophenyl hexanoate by hydroxypropyl-P-cyclodextrin in the presence of 14 potential inhibitors can occur with the ester largely outside of the hydroxypropyl-P-cyclodextrin cavity during the transition state, allowing the cavity to be occupied by a molecule of potential inhibitor.Key words: cyclodextrin, spectator catalysis, esterolysis.Resum6 : A cause d'une inhibition compCtitive, les alcools aliphatiques qui forment des complexes h6tes-invitCs avec l'cchydroxypropyl-P-cyclodextrinen retardent le clivage de I'acCtate de tn-nitrophknyle par l'hydroxypropyl-P-cyclodextrine en solution basique aqueuse. Par opposition, ces m&mes espkces n'inhibent pas la rCaction de I'acCtate de p-nitrophenyle et de I'hexanoate dep-nitrophenyle de la m&me faqon et, dans certains cas, I'addition d'alcools sert mCme i augmenter la vitesse de la reaction. Les rCsultats cinCtiques observCs suggkrent I'existence d'un processus qui comporte urze molCcule d'ccinhibiteur potentiel)) dans 1'Ctat de transition du clivage de l'ester. Les constantes de vitesse, k, pour les rCactions des complexes (ester.hydroxypropy1-P-cyclodextrine] avec une sCrie d'inhibiteurs potentiels montre une forte dCpendance sur I'habilitC de l'inhibiteur potentiel B se lier B la cyclodextrine. Par ailleurs, les constantes de vitesse pour la rCaction cinktiquement Cquivalente de l'ester avec le complexe (cyclodextrine.inhibiteur potentiel) ne prksente qu'une faible dCpendance sur la structure de l'alcool et leurs variations ne sont que trks faibles. Les logarithmes nCgatifs des constantes de dissociations apparentes des inhibiteur...