Intact secretory vesicles isolated from bovine adrenal medulla contain 94 nmol Na+ per mg of protein, and Ca2+ influx into the vesicles is inhibited by increasing concentrations of extravesicular Na+ (but not of K+, Li+ or choline+) or by addition of the Na+ ionophore monensin. Thus Ca2+ influx in determined by the Na+ gradient across the vesicular membrane. Half maximal inhibition of Ca2+ influx occurs with 34 nM Na+ extravesicularly. The fact that Ca2+ can also be released from the vesicles by inversion of the Na+ gradient provides direct evidence that an Na+-Ca2+ exchange may operate. According to an analysis of the inhibition of Ca2+ uptake by Na+ in a Hill plot 2 Na+ would be exchanged for 1 Ca2+. Ca2+ influx into the vesicles increases with temperature (energy of activation; 16 kcal/mol), can be observed already with 10(-7) M free Ca2+ and increases up to 10(-4) M Ca2+. Ca2+ influx is not affected by Mg2+ but Sr2+ is inhibitory. Since the process is only slightly influenced by the pH of the incubation medium and is insensitive to Mg2+-ATP or inhibitors of the proton translocating Mg2+-ATPase the electrochemical proton gradient across the vesicular membrane does not affect directly the Ca2+ influx into the secretory vesicles. Ca2+ uptake is insensitive to ruthenium red and oligomycin.