“…However, Denney et al 55 believe that th£ formation of an ion pair of a different structure, [(RO) 3 P-OH, "OR'], converted into the products (phosphate and alcohol) by proton transfer, is more likely. This last hypothesis is based on the fact that, in the first place, the reduction of hydroperoxides by phosphines in ethanol-H 2 18 O solution yields a phosphine oxide and an alcohol, both without 18 O, which can be accounted for by the absence of free OH" ions and their isotope exchange with the solvent 18 OH~ ions and, in the second place, by the fact that the optical activity of the initial hydroperoxide is retained in the alcohol formed 58 . However, these arguments put forward by Denney in favour of a nucleophilic mechanism can also be accommodated within the framework of the one-electron mechanism.…”