The radiolysis of trimethylamine in N20/02 (4: 1 v/v) saturated basic solutions eventually gives rise to dimethylamine, formaldehyde, and hydrogen peroxide. Pulse radiolysis using conductivity and opfical detection permits the observation of the chemical transformations following the generation of the (dimethylamino)methyl radical from trimethylamine upon attack by the hydroxyl radical. The (dimethy1amino)methyl radical reacts rapidly with oxygen ( k = 3.5 x lo9 M-' s-') to give 0 , ' and dimcthylimonium, possibly via a short-lived ( c~.~ < s) pcroxyl radical. The dimethylimonium ion adds O H ~ to form (hydroxymcthyl)dimcthylaminc (k = 2.8 x 10' M ' s '). This is hydroly7cd to dimethylamine and formaldehyde hydrate (kObs = 4.0 0.6 s I). A mechanism incorporating these reactions is shown to be in good accordance with the experimental data in the pH range from 9 to 11.3.The reactions of hydroxyl radicals with trimethylamine in deoxygenated aqueous solutions ' -' ) have been extensively studied recently ' ) using pulse radiolysis, combined with ESR and product analysis. Aqueous trimethylamine exists in both the protonated and the unprotonated forms (pKa 9.76), and hydroxyl radical attack leads to the formation of three radicals, the aminoalkyl radical (CH3hNCH; (A*), its conjugated acid (CH,),HN+CH; (AH+'), and the alkylamine radical cation (CH&N+' (N+'). Under such conditions 'OH is the major radical (go%,, 0.57 pmol J-'), with a small contribution of the H atom (lo%, 0.057 pmol J-I). Hydroxyl radicals react with trimethylamine thirty times faster (k7,* = 1.2 x 1O'O M-' s-') than with its protonated form (k = 4 x lo8 M-' s-' ) 6, . In the present study we deal only with the pH range above 9. This simplifies the situation, because then we may restrict ourselves essentially to the consideration of A' and N+' as the primary amine radicalsn [reactions (7) and (8)