The reaction mechanism for the formation of Ti2SnC has been investigated. A mixture of Ti5Sn3 and TiC powders was adopted to synthesize Ti2SnC. It confirms that Ti2SnC forms from the reaction of Ti5Sn3 and TiC. Scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the reaction mechanism. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.