Reactions in which several nucleons are transferred between complex nuclei have been studied by measurement of angular distributions and excitation functions of the recoiling projectile residues. The results show that multinucleon transfer does not proceed either through a compound nucleus or through a mechanism in which the Coulomb barrier is not penetrated (such as the tunneling mechanism for single-nucleon transfer). Instead, the data indicate the existence of a "grazing contact" mechanism. In such a grazing reaction, it appears that a high-energy projectile, though deflected by the Coulomb barrier, still penetrates the region of nuclear binding of the target. It moves along the surface of the target, with the zone of contact between the nuclei being frictionally excited and thus preventing formation of a compound nucleus. The system separates after half a rotation, or less, because the repulsive Coulombic and centrifugal forces exceed the nuclear binding force. Depending on the mode of separation, such grazing contact may result in nucleon transfer, inelastic scattering, or breakup of the projectile. At energies well above the Coulomb barrier, such grazing processes appear to represent an important fraction of the geometric cross section.

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