The interaction of the adenyosylcobalamin-dependent ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase of Cornyebacterium nephridii with 2'-C-methyladenosine 5'-diphosphate (2'-MeADP) and 2'-C-methyluridine 5'-diphosphate (2'-MeUDP) has been investigated. The nucleotide analogs are converted to adenine and uracil, respectively, suggesting that they may be mechanism-based inhibitors. In addition, both analogs generate nucleotides with properties expected for the 2'-deoxy-2'-C-methylnucleotides. The nucleoside obtained after enzymatic dephosphorylation of the product formed from 2'-MeADP has been identified as 2'-deoxy-2'-C-methyladenosine by 1H NMR and mass spectroscopies. Adenine is the major product derived from 2'-MeADP, indicating that the degradation pathway predominates. During the reaction, the carbon-cobalt bond of the coenzyme is cleaved irreversibly to yield 5'-deoxyadenosine and cob(II)alamin. 2'-MeADP is a potent competitive inhibitor of the reduction of the purine nucleotides ADP and GDP, while 2'-MeUDP competitively inhibits the reduction of the pyrimidine nucleotides UDP and CDP. 2'-MeADP is a very effective promoter of the tritium exchange reaction between [5'-3H2]adenosylcobalamin and the solvent, indicating that the exchange reaction is an integral part of the overall reduction. All these observations are consistent with the reaction mechanism proposed by Stubbe and co-workers [Harris, G., Ashley, G. W., Robins, M. J., Tolman, R. L., & Stubbe, J. (1987) Biochemistry 26, 1895-1902 (1987); Stubbe, J. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 5329-5332] in which they suggest that the partitioning between reduction and inactivation occurs at the level of the 2'-deoxy-3'-ketoribonucleotide intermediate.