Aliquots of purified rat liver nuclei were diluted at 0 degrees C in isotonic buffers containing monovalent (Na+) or divalent (Ca2, Mg2+) cations. At different times following dilution the nuclear suspensions were centrifuged and the T3 receptor was measured in KCl extracts of the nuclear pellets. The rate of receptor loss after dilution in EDTA was 0.0025 min-1. Dilution in the presence of cations caused a fast release of receptor during the first 10 min. This phase, which was not observed when the nuclei were diluted in EDTA without salt, was followed by a second phase where the receptor was released at the same rate as in EDTA. Receptor release was only dependent on the presence of cations in the dilution buffer during the first 10 min after dilution. The amounts of receptor remaining in the nuclei after the first 10 min of dilution were 51.8 +/- 9.2%, in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+, 38.6 +/- 8.9% in 0.15 M NaCl, and 18.0 +/- 4.8% in 0.15 M NaCl in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+. The release of receptor was not influenced by the integrity of the nuclear membrane. These results suggest the presence of divalent cation sensitive and insensitive nuclear sites for the T3 receptor, in amounts which could be estimated to be about 48 and 52%, respectively. Other interpretations are also possible, such as the presence of a high proportion of free receptors in the nucleosol, which could be released during the first phase of dilution if the negative charges in chromatin are blocked by cations to avoid redistribution of receptors immediately after dilution.