To determine whether the properties of alkaline phosphatase in human liver are altered by releasing the enzyme from its native environment, we studied the membrane-bound and purified forms, and the enzyme released by applying phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase-C. The bound enzyme had the lowest affinities for eight substrates and the competitive inhibitor phenylphosphonate. The Ki for inorganic phosphate was lower with the bound enzyme than with the other forms, whereas the values for uncompetitive inhibitors were the same with all three. Phenylglyoxal reacted with essential residues of arginine at similar rates with the bound and purified enzymes, whereas essential cations were more readily removed and replaced in the bound and released forms. Arrhenius plots of the bound enzyme revealed two breaks, with activation energy above the second break similar to that of the purified enzyme. Activity of the bound enzyme increased when the membrane was perturbed by butanol and assayed below 30 degrees C. These experiments demonstrate that, even though binding of alkaline phosphatase to the plasma membrane is not essential for catalytic function, the properties of the enzyme in the membrane are different from those of the soluble form.