Tetraethylammonium (TEA) uptake was measured in isolated, nonperfused rabbit S2 proximal tubule segments. The TEA cell-to-bath concentration ratio in bicarbonate-Ringer bathing medium was 10-fold higher than that predicted by passive equilibration according to the basolateral electrochemical potential, indicating that TEA uptake is an active process as reported by previous investigators. Removing bicarbonate and CO2 reduced TEA uptake to 22% of control. When bicarbonate-CO2 was replaced by HEPES-O2 or butyrate-O2, TEA uptake was unaltered, but uptake was inhibited when the major buffer anion was omitted. In the presence of 10(-4) M ouabain and bicarbonate-CO2, the TEA cell-to-bath concentration ratio was reduced to 20% of control. TEA uptake in the absence of bicarbonate and CO2 was unaltered by the addition of 10(-4) M ouabain. TEA uptake was inhibited when the bathing medium contained 0 mM K+ or 2 mM Ba2+. These data 1) demonstrate that active basolateral TEA uptake is dependent on medium buffer capacity and 2) support the concept that a portion of TEA uptake occurs via a passive equilibration pathway.