The divalent cation requirement for partial reactions of the catalytic turnover cycle during interfacial catalysis by pig pancreatic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is investigated. Results show that the specific role of calcium in all the events of the catalytic cycle at the active site is not shared by other divalent cations. Cations such as calcium, barium, and cadmium bind to the enzyme in the aqueous phase. The active-site-directed ligands (substrate, products, and transition-state mimics) do not bind to the enzyme in the absence of a divalent cation. The synergistic binding of such ligands to the active site of PLA2 bound to the interface is, however, observed only in the presence of isosteric ions like calcium and cadmium, but not with larger ions like strontium or barium. The equilibrium constants for ligands bound to the enzyme in the presence of calcium and cadmium are virtually the same. However, only calcium supports the catalytic turnover; the rate of hydrolysis in the presence of cadmium is less than 1% of that observed with calcium. The role of divalent ions on the interfacial catalytic turnover cycle of PLA2 is not only due to the cation-assisted binding of the substrate but also due to its participation in the chemical step. Other roles of divalent ions in the events of interfacial catalytic turnover are also identified. For example, the binding of the enzyme to the interface is apparently promoted because the divalent cation is required for the sequential step, i.e., the binding of the substrate to the active site of PLA2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)