The glutathione-dependent metabolism of the nephrotoxin and nephrocarcinogen hexachloro-1,3-butadiene (HCBD) was investigated in subcellular fractions from rat liver and kidney. HCBD was metabolized by hepatic glutathione S-transferases to (E)- and (Z)-1-(glutathion-S-yl)-pentachlorobuta-1,3-diene (GPCB) in a ratio of 20:1, which were identified by secondary ion MS and by GC-MS after acid hydrolysis. The formation of GPCB was dependent on time and on protein and glutathione concentrations. Microsomal glutathione S-transferases from rat liver catalyzed GPCB formation more efficiently than did cytosolic glutathione S-transferases; very low rates of GPCB formation were observed in kidney subcellular fractions. GPCB is also a substrate for glutathione S-transferases and is metabolized to a diglutathione conjugate, which was identified by secondary ion MS and 13C NMR spectrometry as 1,4-bis(glutathion-S-yl)-1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobuta-1,3-diene (BTCB). BTCB formation from GPCB was dependent on time and on protein, glutathione, and GPCB concentrations. Hepatic cytosol catalyzed BTCB formation more efficiently than did hepatic microsomes; significant amounts of BTCB were also formed in kidney cytosol. Hepatic formation of glutathione S-conjugates, translocation of the S-conjugates to the kidney, and renal processing to form reactive intermediates may be the cause of HCBD-induced nephrotoxicity and, perhaps, nephrocarcinogenicity.