Contact ion pairs, essential intermediates of both chemical and biochemical reactions in solution, can be satisfactorily approximated by MNDO calculations as exemplified by the lithium and potassium salts of 2,5-trimethylsilyl-p-benzosemiquinone radical anion and by sodium tetraphenylally1 anion diethyl ether. Topics discussed are the structural changes of p-benzoquinone derivatives on single-electron reduction, the dynamics of the countercations in semiquinone radical contact ion pairs measured by temperature-dependent ESR spectra, as well as structural details of the sodium tetraphenyl-allylanion complex isolated such as its intramolecular Na dibenzene sandwich or its diethylether solvation. 0 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.