The steroid androstenedione has been shown to be a valuable tool for the study of selective inactivation of rat liver cytochrome P-450 isozymes. The validity of this method was investigated using microsomes, purified cytochromes P-450, cytochrome P-450 antibodies, and the mechanism-based inactivator chloramphenicol. Enzyme inactivation and antibody inhibition studies show that microsomes from phenobarbital- and non-phenobarbital-treated rats are needed to accurately monitor the inactivation of the major phenobarbital-inducible P-450 isozyme (PB-B) and of the major constitutive androstenedione 16-alpha hydroxylase (UT-A). Enzyme inactivation studies showed that the antibiotic chloramphenicol caused different rates of NADPH-dependent enzyme inactivation among four androstenedione hydroxylases (16-beta > 6-beta > 16-alpha > 7-alpha). The results with twelve chloramphenicol analogs show that their selectivity as cytochrome P-450 inactivators is dependent upon at least three structural features: (1) the number of halogen atoms, (2) the presence of a para-nitro group on the phenyl ring, and (3) substitutions on the ethyl side chain.