Several classes of compounds - flavones, coumarins, S- and N-substituted glutathione analogs, transition state analogs, porphyrins, nucleotides and nucleosides - have been reported to inhibit the enzyme gloxalase I. In the current study, examination of some of the aforementioned compounds has revealed that squaric acid does not function as an inhibitor of glyoxalase I and several other compounds are much less effective in this regard than previously reported. Several new potent inhibitors of yeast glyoxalase I have been identified. Compounds containing the tropolone structure were especially inhibitory. Glutathione adducts of benzoquinone and naphthoquinone were also inhibitory and may be of particular interest with regard to the toxicology of normal aromatic metabolites in vivo.