Our work shows that nitrobenzenide radical, and consequently the oxidised bases, are accessible in a much wider and simpler set of conditions than previously thought. It also presents a significant resemblance to recent findings in the field of frustrated radical pairs, where SET enables novel synthetic pathways using some of the oxidised bases we report here (O t Bu• and HMDS•). Thus, we propose the [1] -[B -X + ] tandem as a versatile and untapped Lewis pair, with the potential to equip nitroarenes with radical properties and easily produce oxidised, radical bases that can drive valuable organic transformations and activate a wide range of inert substrates.