Irradiation of an acetonitrile solution of cis 1-methyl-2-phenylcyclopentane (1bcis); 1,4-dicyanobenzene (2), an electron-accepting photosensitizer; and 2,4,6-collidine (3), a nonnucleophilic base, leads to configurational isomerization of the cyclopentane; the photostationary state lies > 99% in favour of the trans isomer. The mechanism proposed for this reaction involves formation of the radical cation of 1bcis by photoinduced electron transfer to the singlet excited state of 2, deprotonation of the radical cation assisted by the base 3, reduction of the resulting benzylic radical by the radical anion [Formula: see text], and reprotonation of the benzylic anion to give both the cis and the trans isomers of 1b. The photostationary state is controlled by the relative rates of deprotonation of the radical cations of 1bcis and trans; these rates are dependent upon the extent of overlap of the SOMO of the radical cation, which is largely associated with the phenyl ring, and the benzylic carbon–hydrogen bond. Molecular mechanics calculations (MM3 and MMP2) are used to calculate the preferred conformations of the isomers. The required orbital overlap is 31% effective with the global minimum conformation of the cis isomer and essentially ineffective for the low-lying conformations of the trans isomer. This proposed mechanism is supported by Stem–Volmer quenching studies, which indicate that both isomers quench the singlet excited state of 2 at the diffusion-controlled rate, and by deuterium incorporation studies. When irradiation of the cis isomer is carried out in acetonitrile–methanol-O-d as solvent, isomerization is accompanied by deuterium exchange at the benzylic position; the trans isomer is stable under these conditions. Keywords: photosensitized electron transfer, radical cation, deprotonation, configurational isomerization, conformation, molecular mechanics (MM3).