Effects of divalent cations such as $Mg^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, and $Zn^2$ on splicing activity of phage T4 thymidylate synthase intron RNA have been investigated. At the concentration of 0.5 mM, $Mn^{2+}$ in the absence of $Mg^{2+}$, a very small amount of pre-RNA was cleaved into ligation products (El-E2) but no circular or linear intron was produced. As the concentration of $Mn^{2+}$ was increased from 1 to 5 mM the pre-RNA was completely hydrolyzed. In the presence of 5 mM $Mg^{2+}$, both the linear intron and circular intron were produced but no El-E2 ligation product was produced. At both 3 and 5 mM $Mn^{2+}$ the RNA was hydrolyzed completely as observed with no $Mg^2+$ being present. In the case of $Zn^{2+}$, even at 0.5 mM concentration, the pre-RNA was completely hydrolyzed. This observation suggested that $Zn^{2+}$ facilitates RNA hydrolysis more rapidly than $Mn^{2+}$ does. at 5mM <TEX>$Ca^{2+}$<TEX>, the RNA was not hydrolyzed and remained intact as a primary transcript.