Changes in the conformations of H3-H4, H2A-H2B, and the core histone complex brought about by the addition of organic solvents have been examined by circular dichroism spectroscopy. All three complexes assume increased alpha helicity with increasing amounts of the organic solvent. An amount of secondary structure equal to that obtained in phosphate-buffered 2 M NaCl solution can be induced in low-salt solutions of the complexes by the addition of 40-50% ethylene glycol, 50% glycerol, or approximately 2% hexafluoro-2-propanol. H3-H4 was found to be somewhat more flexible than H2A-H2B in its response to changes in solvent polarity. Upon being heated, H3-H4 and the core histone complex both undergo irreversible alpha leads to beta transitions in 50% ethylene glycol under low-salt conditions, while H2A-H2B undergoes an essentially reversible alpha leads to beta random-coil transition under the same conditions. These results are discussed in terms of the dynamics of the nucleosome particle.