In these studies, we have defined the mechanism by which the opsonic fragment of the third component of complement (C3) binds to pathogenic bacteria. With use of purified human C3 to reconstitute the alternative pathway in human serum in which both C3 and C4 had been chemically inactivated, we showed that opsonization of pathogenic serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae (serotypes 3, 4, 6A, 14, and 18C) requires the reactive thiolester of native C3. When purified human C3 (thiolester intact) is added to serum deficient in C3 and C4, phagocytic uptake of ³H-Iabeled pneumococci by polymorphonuclear leukocytes from normal adults is fully reconstituted. However, hydrolysis of the thiolester or reaction of the thiolester with the inhibitor methylamine abolishes opsonization and phagocytosis. Finally, by characterizing those C3 fragments released from pneumococcal surfaces after treatment with 1.0M hydroxylamine, we have defined a role for covalent-bond formation in the opsonic interaction. Therefore, the presence of the reactive thiolester of C3 is an absolute requirement for the opsonic and covalent binding of the C3b molecule to pathogenic bacteria.