A theoretical analysis is used to gain insight in the dynamics of an adsorptive fixed-bed reactor where an irreversible bimolecular reaction of the type A + B --> P takes place. One of the reactants is assumed to be preferentially adsorbed with a favorable isotherm, while the other is adsorbed with a linear isotherm. The reaction follows an arbitrary kinetics where the rate is dependent on the concentrations of A and B. An analytic solution based on the method of characteristics is obtained for the case of local adsorption equilibrium. The dynamic behavior is affected by an intimate coupling of reaction kinetics and adsorption and breakthrough of the favorably adsorbed species is delayed by the occurrence of the reaction. The theoretical analysis is compared to experimental results obtained for an immobilized-enzyme reactor system for the esterification of propionic acid and isoamyl alcohol in hexane. The local adsorption equilibrium solution obtained for this system is in qualitative agreement with the experimental results. Quantitative agreement is obtained taking into account numerically the finite rate of adsorption and axial dispersion.