Abstract: Formal nucleophilic substitutions have been studied by simple trapping techniques designed to separate and estimate contributions of reactions proceding by way of free radicals, by way of anions, and by way of geminate or synchronous processes. Reactions of trimethyltinsodium with organic halides in tetrahydrofuran at 0 OC were examined, using dicyclohexylphosphine for trapping free radicals and tert-butylamine for free anionoids. ...