This paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor Hanns Fischer, a pioneer in the chemistry and physics of free radicals, and in designing and adopting magnetic resonance and other physical techniques for their studyChemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP) observed during electron transfer (ET) reactions of tertiary amines such as DABCO (1) or Et 3 N (2) with a wide range of electron acceptors support the involvement of amine radical-cations (e.g., 1C+ or 2C + ) as key intermediates. Radical ions such as 2C + may be deprotonated, generating neutral aminoalkyl radicals (e.g., 2C). When generated by reaction with an electron acceptor of energetically low triplet state such as naphthalene ( 1 Naph*), the resulting pair 2C + /NaphC À reacts mostly by reverse electron transfer (RET) from triplet pairs populating the naphthalene triplet state.The Advent of Chemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization. -In 1967, the journal Zeitschrift für Naturforschung published two papers from Hanns Fischers laboratory, describing unusual nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) effects observed during the thermal decomposition of diaroyl peroxides [1]. Only two months later, Ward and Lawler reported related effects observed during rapid reactions of alkyllithium compounds with alkyl halides [2]. These publications introduced the phenomenon of chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP) to the scientific community. In rapid succession, additional papers appeared reporting CIDNP effects during the thermal decomposition of dialkyl peroxides [3], various photoreactions [4 -7], including reactions of photochemically generated carbenes [5] [7], molecular rearrangements [8], and radical-anion reactions [9].Like many other chemists, we were fascinated by these effects and tried to design systems in which they might be observed to provide mechanistic information. We first studied photoinduced carbene reactions [7] and established that carbene singlet states undergo chlorine abstraction. While this work was in progress, Closs and coworkers [10], and Kaptein and Oosterhoff [11] demonstrated that CIDNP effects are induced in radical pairs; this theory could plausibly rationalize most or all then known effects.At this time, we became interested in photoinduced electron transfer and applied CIDNP to such reactions. Interesting effects observed during the anthraquinone-sensitized cleavage of thymine dimers [12] encouraged us to pursue this research further. We chose photoreactions of carbonyl compounds with amines, which lead to reduction of the carbonyl group or quenching of the excited state without net chemical change as a promising target.