Using 2,6-dimethyliodobenzene (6) as substrate with potassium tert-butoxide (KO t Bu) as base and benzene as solvent, together with any reagent that can convert some 6 into radicals 10, this leads to products 2,6-dimethylbiphenyl (7), biphenyl 8 and m-xylene 9 via a base-assisted homolytic aromatic substitution (BHAS) reaction (Scheme 1D). Once 6 is converted to a xylyl radical 10 by an initiator, it can react by addition to benzene (kC-C); after deprotonation of the resulting cyclohexadienyl radical 11, oxidation of the corresponding radical anion 12 yields product 7. Alternatively, due to steric hindrance imposed by the ortho-methyl groups, 10 may abstract a hydrogen atom from benzene (kC-